My dear wife, I still love you more.

"Thank you!"

He took the elevator upstairs and, following the directions of the receptionist, Kenichi Hasegawa found the room with a sign that read "Machida Sonoko." He knocked lightly.

"Please come in."

"Hello, Editor Machida, I'm Kenichi Hasegawa. I was introduced by Tomoya Aki," Hasegawa said politely as he entered the room. At the same time, Hasegawa sized up Machida Sonoko. She appeared to be around thirty years old, with short, neat hair that just covered her ears. Not only her hairstyle, but also her demeanor exuded a capable air. With just one glance, one could tell she was a strong woman, absolutely dedicated to her work, and likely quite responsible.

"Hello, I'm Machida Sonoko, an editor at Shinazugawa Library." Machida Sonoko extended her fair right hand and spoke to Hasegawa Kenichi, while simultaneously sizing him up. He was an ordinary-looking high school student, someone you'd easily lose in a crowd, completely unremarkable. However, Hasegawa Kenichi possessed a rather unique aura.

After a series of very formal pleasantries, Kenichi Hasegawa handed a printed manuscript to Sonoko Machida: "This is my book, Tokyo Ghoul. Please take a look."

"Aki-san strongly recommended Hasegawa-san's work, so I'm also looking forward to Hasegawa-san's work. After all, generally speaking, works that are recommended by Aki-san are of relatively good quality."

Machida Sonoko looked at the manuscript that Hasegawa Kenichi handed her and immediately flipped through it. As an editor, she usually skimmed through manuscripts first, giving a general evaluation before determining whether they were worth reading in detail. After all, editing is a relatively busy job, and she wouldn't have paid much attention to it if it weren't for Aki Tomoya's recommendation.

Machida Sonoko opened the manuscript, intending to first skim through its contents as planned. However, as she read, her reading speed began to slow down.

To be honest, the writing style of this novel wasn't particularly outstanding; of course, compared to the average high school student's essay, it was quite good. This didn't surprise Machida Sonoko. However, the content of the novel truly amazed her.

To be honest, Machida Sonoko hasn't handled many novels of this type; she's more familiar with slice-of-life romance novels. However, she also has a high level of appreciation for other genres, which is one of the reasons why Aki Tomoya recommended Machida Sonoko to Hasegawa Kenichi.

After about two hours, Machida Sonoko put down the manuscript, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "Hasegawa-kun, no, Hasegawa-sensei, your work is truly excellent. Although the writing isn't ornate, it uses simple language to depict a cruel and complex world—a society composed of cannibalistic ghouls and humans..."

"Thank you for your praise." Kenichi Hasegawa smiled. Receiving praise from an editor was definitely a cause for celebration for a novelist. With the editor's approval, there shouldn't be any problem with his novel being published.

Kenichi Hasegawa quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the system gave him a certain level of confidence, he was still somewhat apprehensive. Now, the weight on his heart was almost lifted.

After some discussion, the novel was finally confirmed for publication. Machida Sonoko, a veteran editor, offered one of her publishing slots. However, because Hasegawa Kenichi was a newcomer, the publisher didn't offer him a high price—an 8% commission. That means if a book sold for 500 yen, Hasegawa Kenichi would receive 40 yen for every book sold.

This price isn't particularly high, but for a newcomer, it's a fairly ideal price. Moreover, it's only slightly higher because Machida Sonoko has high hopes for Hasegawa Kenichi's book.

Kenichi Hasegawa wasn't particularly concerned about these things. Although he hoped to make money, he didn't really think about how much.

At first, Kenichi Hasegawa simply wanted to earn enough to support himself, and if possible, cover his school fees. He also planned to send some money home if the rest was feasible.

Therefore, as long as he writes about making money, he doesn't really care how much or how little he can make.

In particular, when he was writing this novel, his writing skills had only reached level 3, which was not considered high.

Kenichi Hasegawa figured that once the first volume sold out and the results were good, he would naturally receive more royalties for the next volume.

Moreover, even if his Tokyo Ghoul doesn't sell well, or even if it's canceled after two or three volumes, Kenichi Hasegawa doesn't care too much. With the system, his writing skills will continue to improve, and the novels he writes will get better and better. Making money after that won't be difficult at all.

Of course, he wouldn't mind if the publisher offered more money. However, Kenichi Hasegawa has a fairly accurate understanding of his own position; what more could a newcomer expect?

Some fictional authors can easily copy all the books they've read, and then when the novel is serialized or published, the publisher will desperately raise the price. How could such a thing possibly happen in reality?

After signing the contract, Kenichi Hasegawa only needs to wait for the novel to be proofread, illustrations to be arranged, and other processes before it can be published.

The novel's publication timeframe should be around one month, or even less.

Furthermore, as stipulated in the contract, the novel's first publication would likely have a print run of 10,000 copies. This means Hasegawa Kenichi would receive at least 400,000 yen in royalties.

42967465

P.S.: I completely forgot to post this yesterday...

Chapter Twenty-One: My Beauty is Like a Painting

Four hundred thousand yen isn't a huge sum, but it's not a small amount either. Generally speaking, a middle-class office worker earns around three hundred thousand yen a month, so the royalties that Kenichi Hasegawa received for publishing the first volume of his novel are roughly the same as what a typical office worker earns.

In Japan, a typical family consists of three or four people. One or two children are in school, the woman stays home as a housewife, and the man works to earn money. This means that a monthly salary of 300,000 yen is sufficient to support a family, ensuring a comfortable life. In fact, barring illness or other unforeseen circumstances, after covering normal household expenses, children's tuition and living costs, they can usually afford to travel once or twice a year.

So while 400,000 yen isn't a lot, it's undoubtedly a huge sum for an ordinary high school student like Kenichi Hasegawa.

Although the money wouldn't be transferred to Hasegawa Kenichi until the novel was published and went on sale, looking at the money in his wallet now, if he was a little frugal and didn't work part-time, he could still make it until next month. After all, normal student expenses weren't high, as long as he didn't spend money recklessly.

"Looks like I don't need to go to work after all." Hasegawa Kenichi walked out of the Shinazugawa Library office building in a cheerful mood.

Unhurried and unperturbed, he steadily went to school every day, practiced kendo or other skills, and then read novels. Although mundane, this kind of life was quite good. After all, there was no so-called pressure in life. He didn't feel physically or mentally exhausted; it was easy and relaxed. For Hasegawa Kenichi, this old man who had transmigrated, it truly was a very happy life.

I spent a uneventful yet pleasant weekend. Although there was homework, I could finish it quickly; after all, with this kind of relaxed education, even weekend homework is relatively light. Afterwards, I practiced kendo at home, continued working on the outline, and wrote a bit more for my novel. Then I tried to learn how to draw some comics.

When signing the contract with the publisher, editor Sonoko Machida said that light novels all require illustrations, and the illustrations for each page cost more than 5,000 yen, and possibly even more.

Of course, money wasn't an issue. But Hasegawa Kenichi had a slight interest in drawing manga, and he felt it would be even better if he could illustrate his own novels, bringing the characters from his mind to life. It was this thought that led him to extend his manga drawing practice time slightly. Well, of course, it wasn't really manga, just illustrations.

In addition, although he doesn't have to get up for school on weekends, for the sake of his health, Kenichi Hasegawa gets up relatively early in the morning to go for a run and exercise. Incidentally, on his way back from his workout, he happens to run into Mrs. Yuihama from next door taking out the trash.

"Hasegawa-kun, are you going for your morning run?" Mrs. Yuihama asked, somewhat surprised, looking at Hasegawa Kenichi dressed in sportswear.

“Yes, a little exercise is good. Although you’re still young, a healthy body will give you more energy for studying and other things. Especially since the day starts in the morning, exercising in the morning will keep you energized all day,” Kenichi Hasegawa said with a smile and a nod to Mrs. Yuihama.

"Huh? Is that so? Hasegawa-kun is really a disciplined person. Unlike Yui, who can't get out of bed at all on weekends, she's still sleeping in right now. Compared to Yui, Hasegawa-kun is really too outstanding." Mrs. Yui praised with a face full of admiration.

"Uh, not really. It's just a little exercise. Besides, I get up very early every day, and I've developed a biological clock so that I can't sleep in anymore at this time of day."

"That's really great. No matter how you look at it, Hasegawa-kun is much more outstanding and reassuring than my Yui."

……

Back home, I took a quick shower and then prepared breakfast for myself in a cheerful mood. Sure enough, the early bird catches the worm; a little exercise helps maintain a good mood throughout the day, so good that even while showering or cooking, I can hum a tune.

After a simple weekend, on Monday morning when I went to school, I had a little follower behind me: Yui Yuigahama.

"Good morning, Yuihama-san."

"Good morning, Hasegawa-kun." Yui Yuigahama was now able to greet Kenichi Hasegawa relatively naturally.

However, it only went as far as greeting her; afterwards, Yui Yuigahama would fall silent again. It was the kind of attitude that said, "If you don't initiate a conversation with me, I won't either."

This is normal, after all, Yui Yuigahama is a girl, and it's a little shy for her to take the initiative to talk to a boy.

Once inside the school, Yui Yuigahama would quicken her pace and separate from Kenichi Hasegawa, probably afraid of misunderstandings or gossip. Kenichi didn't mind; in fact, he thought it was a good thing, at least it would reduce trouble and attention.

I arrived at school at a normal pace and just sat down in my seat.

Good morning, Hasegawa-kun.

"Um, good morning, Kato-kun." Hasegawa Kenichi was surprised that someone other than Aki Tomoya would greet him first, especially a rather cute-looking girl, and couldn't help but smile. Although he didn't have any ulterior motives, it was still a pleasant thing to have a pretty and cute girl greet him first, wasn't it?

Kato Megumi's mood improved slightly when she saw Hasegawa Kenichi call her by her name again.

"Last time, did Hiratsuka-sensei want to see Hasegawa-kun about something?"

"Well, it's nothing, it's mainly because of the other students."

"Oh, is it because of Aki Tomoya-kun?"

"Uh, that's right. After all, that guy Renya is a bit... you know."

"Yes, I do know about Aki Tomoya. After all, this is the first time I've ever seen a classmate who would shout out that he loves anime and manga so loudly without any sense of shame."

"..." Hearing Kato Megumi's evaluation of Aki Tomoya, Hasegawa Kenichi was also a little unsure of what to say.

"Hasegawa-kun isn't exactly a fan of anime and manga, since we rarely see him reading comics or novels. So why is he friends with someone like Aki Tomoya?"

"Because I came to Tokyo from the countryside, I didn't know anyone, and I felt inferior. It was Tomoya who put aside his prejudices and took the initiative to talk to me. Although it was about anime and manga, it was like a ray of sunshine in my darkness, so we became friends. Kato-kun, you won't look down on me just because I'm from the countryside, will you?" Hasegawa Kenichi said with a smile. He didn't care about his background at all.

"No, not at all. Besides, I can't see any inferiority complex in Hasegawa-kun at all. That's amazing, Hasegawa-kun."

"Thank you, I will gladly accept your compliment."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Hachiman Hikigaya Enters School

The conversation with Kato Megumi ended, but to be honest, talking to her was quite comfortable. Not only was she cute, but her voice was also very pleasant. Although her facial expressions hardly changed, she gave people a strange sense of relaxation.

I didn't feel any pressure talking to Kato Megumi.

Of course, feeling pressured when talking to girls isn't something that happens easily, unless someone is insecure and the girl in front of them is very pretty. Even if there's no particular reason, that kind of pressure can arise inexplicably, making you unconsciously want to think of what to say to go along with what the girl is saying, and occasionally worrying that what you say might upset her.

But when I was with Megumi Kato, I didn't feel that way at all; it was very relaxing and easy.

Generally speaking, unless it's a girl he's very familiar with, or a girl he's already used to, he wouldn't act like this. But he's only known Kato Megumi for a short time, and this is only the second time he's spoken to her. The last time he spoke to her, it was all just polite talk.

"Kenichi." Aki Tomoya appeared at this moment. After arriving in the classroom, he saw Hasegawa Kenichi and ran straight to him without even returning to his own seat.

"Kenichi, how did it go? How did the talk with Editor Machida go?" Aki Tomoya asked with some concern. "Although I wanted to go with you, I'm sorry, there's a figure I really want to buy, and it's a limited edition, so I had to go to work to earn money."

"It's alright. Besides, we've already reached an agreement with Editor Machida, and the contract has even been signed," Hasegawa Kenichi said with a smile.

"Huh? Really? That's wonderful! Editor Machida is a very capable and charismatic editor. If she approves of your work, then everything will be fine. Congratulations, Kenichi, your novel will be published soon." Aki Tomoya beamed with joy, looking so happy that one might suspect he was the author.

In fact, this is also Aki Tomoya's personality. Aki Tomoya doesn't care about anything else; he only cares about the world of anime and manga. He just thinks that Kenichi Hasegawa's novels are great and should be seen by more people, which can be considered selfless.

"Kenichi, don't worry. When your novel goes on sale, be sure to tell me immediately. I'll buy it and promote it on my account. I'll make sure more people see it," Aki Tomoya said excitedly.

"Thank you very much, Tomoya," Hasegawa Kenichi said with a smile.

Although Hasegawa Kenichi knew some things about Aki Tomoya, he wasn't entirely sure how much influence Aki Tomoya actually had in this area. He hadn't experienced it firsthand, only seeing related entries in his diary, and nothing more. Therefore, Hasegawa Kenichi didn't really think that promoting Aki Tomoya as a content creator would be very effective.

However, Aki Tomoya meant well, so Hasegawa Kenichi expressed his gratitude.

"It's settled then. It's great to be able to write such a novel. Actually, I've thought about doing something too. Writing a novel, or drawing a comic, or making a game or something. But I lack inspiration for writing a novel, and my drawing skills aren't good enough for a comic. As for a game, I don't have any ideas. So Kenichi, you've written a novel, and such a great one at that, you're really amazing." Aki Tomoya gave Hasegawa Kenichi a thumbs up.

"It's alright. I've just read a lot of novels before, and then I had this urge to write one, so I did." Hasegawa Kenichi's answer wasn't exactly perfunctory; he really was like that. Although part of the reason he wrote this novel was for money, it was also because he genuinely wanted to write it.

Before I time-traveled, I read martial arts novels and online novels. Later, I really wanted to write them myself, and I even tried. It's just a pity that reading novels is quite simple and comfortable, and I thought writing novels shouldn't be too difficult either. But when I actually started writing, I found that writing novels was not that simple at all.

Firstly, I lacked sufficient talent, and secondly, I lacked sufficient time and patience. So after starting work, I stopped thinking about writing novels, and later, as I got older, I rarely even read online novels anymore.

Now, I can say that I've rekindled my original ideals.

"That's amazing! As expected of a friend I value. Keep it up! I'll definitely support you," Aki Tomoya said enthusiastically.

"kindness."

Just as Aki Tomoya was about to discuss other novels with Hasegawa Kenichi, the class representative suddenly arrived: "Hasegawa-kun, your homework."

"Here." Kenichi Hasegawa handed the homework to the class representative.

The class representative collected the homework and then looked at Aki Tomoya: "Aki-kun, where's your homework?"

"Huh? Homework? Oh no, I forgot, there's homework this weekend? I was so busy working this weekend, I completely forgot about homework!!!" Aki Tomoya said, holding his head in his hands.

"Didn't Aki do your homework? I understand. I'll tell Hiratsuka-sensei about it." The class representative said calmly, looking at Aki Tomoya with a hint of disdain in her eyes. "You otaku are disgusting."

"No, please don't do that. If Hiratsuka-sensei finds out, I'm doomed. She already confiscated my manga last time. If she finds out I forgot to do my homework again, she definitely won't give it back!" Aki Tomoya screamed.

"Sorry, but this is the only thing I can't do," the class representative said bluntly.

"Please, please, just wait a little while, give me some time to finish copying the homework."

"Sorry, as the class representative, I can't turn a blind eye to things like plagiarism." The class representative shook his head.