My dear wife, I still love you more.

"Eri, why are you walking so fast? Honestly. Kenichi, if you have any questions about writing your novel, feel free to come to me anytime. I'll answer everything I know." Sayuri Sawamura said this to Hasegawa before chasing after Eriri.

Hasegawa smiled, not really caring. He already knew quite a bit about Sawamura Sayuri from her, so whether or not he went to see her was pretty much irrelevant to his novel writing. Besides, Hasegawa planned to visit more families in the coming days and ask them about other people's lives.

Finally, it was Saeko Busujima's turn. Saeko Busujima looked at Hasegawa with a beaming smile: "Hasegawa-kun, if you want to practice kendo, just come to my house. After all, you have the key to my house." Saeko Busujima then glanced at Yui Yuigahama.

Yui Yuigahama's face paled slightly upon hearing Saeko Busujima's words.

"Yes." Hasegawa nodded.

In reality, Hasegawa no longer needs to practice kendo. Well, because of the system, once his skills reach a certain level, they won't decline; it's a fixed template. Besides, with his kendo already maxed out, there's nothing more to practice.

However, now is not the time to talk about this. Hasegawa decided to talk to Saeko Busujima in person after he went to the Busujima-ryu dojo tomorrow.

Having reached the maximum level of swordsmanship skill means having reached the level of a legendary sword saint.

The moment Hasegawa reached the level of a Sword Saint, with the help of the system, his swordsmanship underwent continuous transformation. Although some traces of the Busujima-style swordsmanship still remained, he had transcended its boundaries. It could even be said that Hasegawa had created his own Hasegawa-style swordsmanship.

However, Hasegawa will tell Saeko Busujima about these things after he goes to the Busujima-ryu dojo tomorrow.

Saeko Busujima left with a smile, leaving behind Hasegawa and Yui Yuigahama.

Although Yui Yuigahama's face turned a little pale because of Saeko Busujima's words, she quickly returned to normal and her eyes became firm.

Hasegawa has said that she will not date during high school. In other words, Yui Yuigahama has two and a half to three years to transform herself and make herself worthy of Hasegawa.

"Yuigahama, let's go!" Hasegawa, unaware of Yuigahama Yui's thoughts, turned to Yuigahama Yui and said.

"Yes!" Yui Yuigahama nodded quickly.

The two went home together. Because Mrs. Yui had already told her they were coming back today, she took the day off work and stayed home to wait for Hasegawa and the others.

"I'm back!" Hasegawa and Yui Yuigahama returned with their luggage and called out as they opened the door.

"Welcome back. Yui, and Hasegawa-kun!" Mrs. Yuihama stood at the door, her face beaming with a radiant smile upon seeing the two of them, and reached out to take their luggage.

But then, Mrs. Yuihama couldn't help but exclaim, "Hasegawa-kun, you seem to have become more, more, more handsome?"

"Huh? Does Mom think so too?" Yui Yuigahama asked.

"Yes, yes, Hasegawa-kun seems to have become especially handsome. Hmm, he doesn't seem to have changed much at all." Mrs. Yuihama's eyes flashed with curiosity.

"It's probably because you know about my performance on the Jade Dragon Flag," Hasegawa explained with a smile, though he felt a little guilty, it was the only explanation.

"Is that so?" Mrs. Yuihama still felt something was off, but apart from that, there didn't seem to be any other explanation. After all, Hasegawa went to participate in the Dragon Flag competition, not to get plastic surgery.

“That’s right, exactly.” Hasegawa nodded with a smile.

"Well, never mind. Come on in. By the way, you're back at this hour, you probably haven't had dinner yet. To celebrate Hasegawa-kun's victory, I specially prepared a lot of ingredients and made a sumptuous breakfast." Mrs. Yuigahama couldn't figure out what was going on, so she put the question aside for the time being. However, she was quite happy to accept that Hasegawa seemed more handsome. Especially looking at Hasegawa's handsome face, her already good mood seemed to improve even more.

Mrs. Yuihama's resolve was strengthened; she was determined to keep Hasegawa as her son-in-law.

"Oh? Really? Thank you, Mom!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Yuihama."

The table was laden with all sorts of food, a truly lavish spread, including some Chinese dishes that she and Hasegawa had learned to prepare.

After enjoying a delicious and sumptuous meal, Hasegawa and Yuigahama Yui couldn't help but slump in their chairs, feeling quite full.

On the one hand, the breakfast was too lavish, and on the other hand, I had rushed to catch the train from Fukuoka before dawn and hadn't eaten since, so I was already feeling hungry.

Chapter 142 Yuihama's Confession

"Mother."

During dinner, Yui Yuigahama suddenly spoke up.

"What's wrong, Yui?" Mrs. Yui asked Yui Yui curiously.

"Mom, I, I want to, I want to drop out of school."

"What?" Mrs. Yui stared wide-eyed at Yui Yui in surprise. Even Hasegawa couldn't help but frown. What was a sixteen-year-old girl doing if she wasn't in school? Although it's very common in Japan not to go to university, most people still choose to finish high school.

“Mom, you know me. I have absolutely no talent for academics. Even if I study really hard, I can’t improve my grades much. Now I’ve almost completely given up on studying and am putting more of my energy into music. So, I’m thinking of dropping out of school now, trying to join an entertainment company, and then debuting. If I continue to study, it will take at least two years, but if I join an entertainment company now, these two years might be a crucial period for me.” Yui Yuigahama said earnestly.

"Huh? This—" Mrs. Yuihama was at a loss for what to do for a moment, and couldn't help but look at Hasegawa. Mrs. Yuihama had now begun to get used to letting Hasegawa make decisions on some important matters, even though she herself hadn't noticed that Hasegawa had become the pillar of their family.

Seeing Mrs. Yui's pleading look, Hasegawa frowned slightly and looked at Yui: "Yui, have you thought this through? This is something that will affect your future. Are you really going to do this?"

"Yes, I've made up my mind. Unlike you, Hasegawa, I'm not a genius. I really don't have any talent for studying. Even if I continue, I'll only waste more than two years and gain almost nothing. At most, I'll just get a high school diploma, but that kind of diploma probably won't be of much use to me. Rather than that, I'd rather spend these precious two years on music." Yui Yuigahama said to Hasegawa very seriously.

"You've thought about this for a long time, haven't you?" Hasegawa actually thought Yui Yuigahama's idea was quite good. In fact, Hasegawa had felt from the beginning that someone like Yui Yuigahama, who simply couldn't keep up with her studies, would be better off learning a skill as soon as possible rather than wasting her time continuing to attend high school.

However, music is a bit different from other technologies. After all, this is about making it in the entertainment industry. And for some people, the entertainment industry isn't necessarily a good place.

"Yes, I've thought about it for a long, long time," Yui Yuigahama said quietly, her head bowed.

Have all the consequences been considered?

"Yes, all the consequences have been considered." Yui Yuigahama kept her head down, her tone calm and without the slightest ripple.

Seeing Yui Yuigahama like this, Hasegawa couldn't help but scratch his head. If Yui Yuigahama had chosen something else, Hasegawa wouldn't be so conflicted. However, this situation should have been considered from the very beginning when Yui Yuigahama started learning music, so Hasegawa didn't find it particularly abrupt.

"Hey, Hasegawa. You know what?" Yui Yuigahama suddenly looked up at Hasegawa.

"what?"

"I like you!"

"Um, Yuihama, you—"

"Hasegawa, listen to me. I like you. I don't know when I started liking you, but as time went by, your protection of me, your care for me, even spending time learning music to teach me—all of this made me fall in love with you without realizing it. Of course, I also know that I'm not good enough for you. After all, you're a genius, and I'm just a very clumsy ugly duckling." Yui Yuigahama's tone was calm, as if she were telling someone else's story.

Listening to Yui Yuigahama's words, Hasegawa felt a headache coming on; this was the last thing he wanted to see. That's why, from the very beginning, he had repeatedly emphasized his desire to avoid dating. Hasegawa felt that even if other girls confessed to him, it would be far better than Yui Yuigahama confessing to him. Yui Yuigahama's confession was the most troublesome, especially since she was confessing to him in front of Mrs. Yuigahama.

Hasegawa couldn't help but look at Mrs. Yuihama. Mrs. Yuihama, however, looked excited, even gratified. Seeing Mrs. Yuihama's expression, Hasegawa felt an even bigger headache coming on, and he even felt a sense of despair.

"I originally thought that just staying quietly by Hasegawa's side would be enough. But, I don't know when it started, girls began to appear around Hasegawa. They were all very outstanding, whether it was Busujima-senpai or Sawamura-kun. Compared to them, I was utterly worthless." Yui Yuigahama's calm tone revealed a sense of inferiority.

"Yui—"

"Mom, you don't need to comfort me, I understand." Yui Yuigahama looked up and smiled at Mrs. Yuigahama, a seemingly bright smile, but there were tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing this, Mrs. Yuihama couldn't help but sigh. She suddenly regretted instilling the idea in Yuihama that she should like Hasegawa. After all, Hasegawa was just too outstanding, and the pressure on Yuihama to be with him was too great.

At this moment, Hasegawa felt like he wanted to die. With Yui Yuigahama's confession like this, how was he supposed to get along with Mrs. Yuigahama from now on? Besides, Yui Yuigahama looked so pitiful, making one want to comfort her. However, Hasegawa suppressed that urge.

"So, I think I need to become better, good enough to be worthy of Hasegawa. It's been two and a half years, and Hasegawa won't be dating for two and a half years, right? So, I want to use these two and a half years to strive and work hard, at least to become better. Then, I'll confess to you, Hasegawa." Yui Yuigahama raised her head, a smile on her face, her expression resolute, but tears finally welled up in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks.

"Well, actually, whether someone is outstanding or not doesn't matter. I... I don't really care about the status of the person I like, nor do I care about whether they're worthy or not. As long as I like them, that's enough." Hasegawa turned his head slightly, not wanting to see Yui Yuigahama's current expression. Besides, Hasegawa felt guilty.

Chapter 143 Awkwardness, Headache

After confessing to Hasegawa, Yui Yuigahama seemed to be shy, so she hid in her room and didn't show herself for the rest of the time.

Hasegawa and Mrs. Yuihama looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Mrs. Yuihama, I—"

“I understand, it’s because Hasegawa-kun is too outstanding. However, Hasegawa-kun said he wouldn’t date in high school, so you absolutely can’t. Otherwise, if Yui comes back two and a half years later and confesses to you, only to find that you already have a girlfriend, she will be very heartbroken,” Mrs. Yuihama said earnestly to Hasegawa.

"Mrs. Yuihama, I, I... It's not what you think. I... I, sigh—" Hasegawa hesitated, unable to say anything in the end. After all, her daughter had just confessed to Hasegawa, and Hasegawa couldn't possibly confess to Mrs. Yuihama at this time; that would be absolutely terrible.

“I understand, after all, Hasegawa-kun is so outstanding. But Yui—never mind. I can't force you to do anything because of Yui, that wouldn't be fair to you. I just hope that Hasegawa-kun can give Yui a fair chance to compete, okay?”

"Mrs. Yuihama, I, I. Okay, alright." Looking at Mrs. Yuihama's pleading eyes, Hasegawa, even though he knew he shouldn't agree, softened his heart and nodded.

Mrs. Yuihama smiled when she saw Hasegawa nod: "Thank you, thank you so much, Hasegawa-kun. I knew Hasegawa-kun was a very kind boy. I'll go tell Yui the news right away."

Hasegawa watched Mrs. Yuigahama run happily toward Yui Yuigahama's room, and couldn't help but let out another long sigh. He slapped his right hand on his forehead; his head hurt, really, really hurt.

For almost the entire day, Yui Yuigahama didn't leave her room. Even her meals were brought up by Mrs. Yuigahama. This gave Hasegawa an even bigger headache. These days, all the young girls are like this, so accommodating of sudden confessions to him. Hasegawa was now starting to regret it, regretting that his two skills had been maxed out. If those skills hadn't been maxed out, the system wouldn't have increased his charm. If his charm wasn't so great, perhaps Yui Yuigahama wouldn't have fallen for him, and his situation wouldn't be so difficult.

Because of Yui Yuigahama, Hasegawa hasn't taken the initiative much when facing Mrs. Yuigahama. Now that Yui Yuigahama is acting like this, it seems even more difficult for him and Mrs. Yuigahama. Especially since Mrs. Yuigahama herself doesn't seem to have any special feelings for him, and even still sees him as her son-in-law.

Hasegawa felt gloomy all day and had no interest in doing anything else.

The next day, Yui Yuigahama still didn't leave her house. Hasegawa stood in front of Yui Yuigahama's door, hesitated for a moment, and then knocked: "Yuigahama. You should think carefully before joining the talent agency. And, I think, at your age, the talent agency might very well put you in a girl group. Hmm, that's fine, after all, it's always easier to start in a group than solo. But, you absolutely can't neglect your singing skills. After all, I think even if you join a girl group, it's just a transitional phase. Singing skills are the foundation of everything, so you have to keep practicing and absolutely can't give up..."

Hasegawa stood at Yui Yuigahama's door, gave her some instructions, and waited for a while. When there was still no response from inside, Hasegawa sighed and then turned to leave.

Meanwhile, in Yui's room, she lay on the bed, curled up in the blanket, listening to Hasegawa's words of advice with a happy smile on her face. Although she knew that Hasegawa was only saying these things out of concern for her, this level of relationship made Yui genuinely happy.

However, because she confessed to Hasegawa so boldly yesterday, Yui Yuigahama is now very shy and doesn't dare to face Hasegawa at all, so she has been hiding in her room and doesn't dare to come out.

As Hasegawa left the door of Yui's room, he turned around and saw Mrs. Yui. She was hiding in the corner, peeking out with half her head, looking at him curiously. Just as Hasegawa turned around, the two of them saw each other.

Mrs. Yui blushed slightly, then moved out from the corner: "Ahem, well, I, I just, just came to bring Yui her lunch."

"Yes, I know. By the way, Mrs. Yuihama, I have something to do today, so I'll head out first." Hasegawa was both amused and exasperated by Mrs. Yuihama's behavior, or rather, more troubled. He waved to her helplessly.

"I see. Well then, Hasegawa-kun, good luck today too."

"Yes, thank you. Mrs. Yuihama, do your best today too!"

Stepping out of his house, Hasegawa let out a breath, feeling the pressure on his body temporarily subside. Sure enough, he felt much better after coming out.

Hasegawa glanced back instinctively and noticed that the curtains in Yui Yuigahama's room upstairs had been immediately drawn. Seeing this, Hasegawa felt a headache coming on again.

Turning around, Hasegawa headed towards the Busujima-ryu kendo dojo. He couldn't break his promise from yesterday, and besides, he wanted to find a place to vent his frustrations, even though he felt that with his current kendo skills, even Busujima Saeko couldn't fully satisfy him.

……

"Hasegawa-kun, you've finally arrived."

Hasegawa arrived at the Busujima-ryu dojo. As soon as he entered, he saw Saeko Busujima, who had already changed into her uniform, kneeling at the entrance. Upon seeing Hasegawa, Saeko bowed, and for some reason, her loose neckline began to widen further with this movement. Hasegawa caught a glimpse of snow-white skin.

"Ahem, since it was a promise, of course I came." Hasegawa turned his head and coughed lightly.

Seeing Hasegawa's action, Saeko Busujima's lips curled up, a smug smile flashing across her face.

"Hasegawa-kun, is today's sparring about to begin?" Saeko Busujima asked Hasegawa, who had changed his clothes.

"Today's sparring session... well, I think we should call it a day," Hasegawa said after a slight hesitation.

"Huh? Never mind?" Saeko Busujima looked at Hasegawa in surprise.

Chapter 144 The Realm of Sword Saint

"Actually, I feel like I've made a breakthrough!"

"You broke through? Huh? Hasegawa, you mean you broke through? Tokijima Saeko looked at Hasegawa in surprise.