My dear wife, I still love you more.

"Yes, right during the Jade Dragon Flag finals," Hasegawa nodded and said.

"The Jade Dragon Flag finals? So that was back then? I suddenly understand why I thought Hasegawa-kun suddenly seemed so handsome. Was it because he broke through to the Sword Saint realm?" Saeko Busujima was shocked, then suddenly realized. At the same time, she also understood why Hasegawa seemed to have suddenly become so handsome and dazzling.

After all, a Sword Saint has not appeared for countless years. Even the clues about Sword Saints are all recorded in ancient books and are rather vague. So no one knows what kind of existence a Sword Saint is.

Therefore, Saeko Busujima mistakenly believed that when a person breaks through to the Sword Saint realm, their entire demeanor and appearance might undergo a transformation. So, it was perfectly normal for Hasegawa to become handsome after breaking through to the Sword Saint realm.

Hasegawa smiled but didn't say anything. He was quite happy to see that Saeko Busujima thought this way.

"Then, Hasegawa-kun, please, let me see the realm of a Sword Saint. This is what I yearn for, the goal I want to pursue. I want to know how far I am from this goal." Saeko Busujima bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees, her slightly loose collar revealing a glimpse of her snow-white skin once again.

Hasegawa turned his head slightly: "Of course, after all, I already promised Busujima-senpai that if I reach this level, I will definitely guide Busujima-senpai."

"Thank you so much. Well then, please take care of it."

Hasegawa and Saeko Busujima stood facing each other. Saeko Busujima gripped her katana with both hands, her eyes sharp as if she wanted to pierce through Hasegawa, her whole being exuding a sharp aura.

Opposite Saeko Busujima, Hasegawa stood quietly, his entire being exuding no aura whatsoever. He stood there calmly, just like an ordinary person. His swordsmanship, which originally involved holding the sword with both hands, had changed. He now held the hilt of his katana with one hand, standing there lazily, his entire body seemingly full of flaws, as if he had never practiced swordsmanship at all.

However, looking at Hasegawa like this, Saeko Busujima felt a powerful pressure pressing down on her, and her breathing became a little erratic. Although she hadn't made a move yet, Saeko Busujima could already vaguely sense that her physical strength was being consumed rapidly, at a rate no less than when she fought Hasegawa before.

Taking a deep breath, Saeko Busujima forced herself to calm down, then with a shout, she pushed off with her feet and rushed towards Hasegawa.

Under Hasegawa's pressure, Saeko Busujima even felt that her sword strike had surpassed her previous highest level; this strike was undoubtedly the most powerful she had ever delivered. Speed, power, and even the trajectory of the sword had all reached a completely new level.

Saeko Busujima's eyes lit up. She thought, perhaps, perhaps she could defeat Hasegawa? Well, Saeko Busujima herself knew that this was an illusion. After all, she was facing a sword saint who might only appear once every few centuries.

Saeko Busujima's sword shot towards Hasegawa like a meteor. Just as it was about to strike Hasegawa, Hasegawa finally moved. His katana moved seemingly slowly and casually, and then, by sheer coincidence, just as Saeko Busujima's katana was about to touch Hasegawa, the two katanas finally collided.

However, when the two swords clashed, they didn't make a sound. Then, Saeko Busujima noticed that her katana was tilting to the side uncontrollably. Saeko Busujima was shocked and used all her strength to grip the katana tightly, trying to move it back to its original trajectory.

Suddenly, without a sound, it was all over. Saeko Busujima felt a chill on her neck; Hasegawa's katana was now pressed against her neck.

Saeko Busujima froze, and then a large amount of sweat seeped from her body, soaking her hair and even her clothes in an instant.

"This, this is the Sword Saint?" Saeko Busujima's voice became hoarse, and she was startled when she heard her own voice.

"That's right, this must be the Sword Saint." Hasegawa sheathed his katana and asked with concern, "Are you alright, Busujima-senpai?"

"No, I'm fine. No, I should say I feel a kind of unprecedented goodness. Sword Saint, this is the Sword Saint. I, I think, I've vaguely grasped a trace of it." Saeko Busujima's eyes began to shine.

Hearing Saeko Busujima's words, Hasegawa was somewhat surprised, but also filled with admiration and awe. Putting aside his own overpowered abilities, Saeko Busujima was a true genius, even a prodigy. In swordsmanship, with just one exchange, Saeko Busujima had already faintly touched the threshold of a sword saint. While this was undoubtedly due to Saeko Busujima's already exceptionally high level of swordsmanship, it was also undeniably a testament to her innate talent.

"Hasegawa-kun, could you... could you tell me something about the Sword Saint? I know it's presumptuous of me, but... but—" Saeko Busujima looked at Hasegawa with a mixture of longing and shame, feeling that asking such a question was really going too far.

After all, someone's understanding of the Sword Saint realm is somewhat similar to a pharmaceutical company painstakingly developing a precious formula. It's something others have painstakingly researched, consuming countless funds and energy to achieve, and for her to now demand it is simply shameless. However, Saeko Busujima was genuinely curious, truly very curious about, even yearning for, the Sword Saint realm.

"Of course. Didn't we agree on this before? Besides, I don't think it's that important. Since Busujima-senpai wants to know, then naturally I won't hold back in telling you." Hasegawa smiled and said casually.

Since it was something obtained through cheating, he wasn't that concerned about it.

"Thank you very much." Saeko Busujima looked at Hasegawa with eyes brimming with spring-like tears.

"Actually, it's difficult for me to describe the realm of Sword Saint in words. It's more like a feeling that can only be understood intuitively, something very mysterious..."

Chapter 145 Utaha Kasumigaoka's Curiosity

Hasegawa naturally couldn't explain the level of a Sword Saint in words, but some vague language, coupled with Hasegawa letting Saeko Busujima experience it firsthand, was already of great help to her.

It can be said that under Hasegawa's guidance, Saeko Busujima's kendo skills improved at an almost visible rate, moving towards becoming a sword saint.

Of course, no matter how talented Saeko Busujima is, she can't break through like Hasegawa does. Saeko Busujima still needs time to mature. If she wants to become a sword saint, she will need at least a few proper years.

……

"Mr. Hasegawa, over here." Hasegawa heard the call and turned around to see Machida Sonoko waving at him. However, what surprised Hasegawa a little was that there seemed to be someone sitting next to Machida Sonoko.

“Editor Machida.” Hasegawa walked over and greeted Machida Sonoko with a smile.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Hasegawa. Let me introduce you. This is Ms. Kasumi Utako. When you and I were talking earlier, Ms. Kasumi Utako was right next to me. After hearing that I was coming to see you, she couldn't help but come over to thank you properly." Machida Sonoko introduced the person to Hasegawa with a smile. At the same time, Machida Sonoko said to Kasumi no Oka Utako, "Ms. Kasumi Utako, this is Mr. Hasegawa."

"Hello, Mr. Hasegawa. Thank you so much for your help. If it weren't for you, Love Metronome might have been canceled." Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled and thanked Hasegawa.

"You're welcome. Actually, I didn't do much. The reason why Love Metron wasn't canceled is all thanks to you, Ms. Kasumi Shiko." Hasegawa said humbly with a smile.

"While I admit my writing is good, some publicity is still necessary. I'm well aware of the situation at the time. But, Mr. Hasegawa, your writing skills are quite impressive. I've read your work before, and it's excellent." Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled at Hasegawa, as if it were their first meeting.

"Thank you for the compliment. Hmm, Ms. Kasumi Shiko, haven't we met somewhere before?" Hasegawa felt that the woman looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere not long ago.

Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned slightly upon hearing Hasegawa's words, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes: "Hasegawa-sensei, your way of flirting is so old-fashioned. If you want to pursue me, I think you'd be better off trying something new."

"Um, sorry, that's not what I meant. I just think, um, sorry, maybe I mistook you for someone else." Hasegawa wanted to explain, but then he felt that it wasn't necessary. He and Kasumigaoka Utaha had only met for the first time, and Hasegawa didn't think he would have any further contact with Kasumigaoka Utaha, so he simply apologized and that was it.

"Since we're both authors working for Machida, if you want to pursue me, I can give you a chance," Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a smile, looking at Hasegawa.

To be honest, Kasumigaoka Utaha was still a little angry. Hasegawa seemed to have no recollection of her at all. They had clearly met at the hotel in Fukuoka before, although they hadn't spoken. But, no matter what, she was a beautiful woman. Shouldn't a boy remember a beautiful woman clearly after meeting her once? Even if he forgot, it should have happened after some time. It seemed like only three or four days had passed since their last meeting.

The most likely reason why Hasegawa seems to have no impression of her is that he simply didn't remember her and didn't keep her in his heart at all.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be a problem, but during the kendo competition, Hasegawa's charm increased dramatically due to his maxed-out kendo skills, leading Kasumigaoka Utaha to even attempt to woo him. In other words, Kasumigaoka Utaha, through her self-inflicted charm, now harbors some feelings for Hasegawa. Given this situation, Hasegawa's complete disregard for her existence is hardly something Kasumigaoka Utaha can be happy about.

"Sorry. I don't have any plans to have a girlfriend right now." Hasegawa frowned slightly, feeling that Kasumigaoka Utaha was a bit too familiar, or perhaps a bit frivolous, saying such things on their first meeting. Therefore, although Kasumigaoka Utaha was sweet-looking and had a good figure, Hasegawa's impression of her wasn't particularly high.

"Do you not plan to have a girlfriend? Or do you already have one? Or, more than one?" Kasumigaoka Utaha narrowed her eyes slightly. She remembered that when they were in the hotel in Fukuoka, four girls would often come and go from Hasegawa's room.

Hasegawa frowned again. He felt that Kasumigaoka Utaha had gone too far. They had only just met, and she might not even have any further interaction, yet she said such things—it was simply too much. So abrupt. Hasegawa's affection for Kasumigaoka Utaha dropped even further. If this were a romance game, the message "Hasegawa's affection -10" would probably appear at this point.

"This is my personal matter." Hasegawa's smile faded, and he said this in a curt tone before shifting his gaze to Machida Sonoko. It seemed he didn't want to talk to Kasumigaoka Utaha anymore.

"Editor Machida, how's the matter I asked you about before?" Hasegawa asked Machida Sonoko.

Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned, a slight displeasure rising within her as Hasegawa seemed unwilling to acknowledge her. However, she quickly realized she might have gone too far. After all, from Hasegawa's perspective, this was their first meeting. While Kasumigaoka Utaha harbored some affection for Hasegawa, he didn't reciprocate her feelings. Asking him such a direct question, especially with such sarcasm, was indeed a bit much.

However, Kasumigaoka Utaha also had her own pride. Seeing that Hasegawa was ignoring her, she didn't want to continue talking to him.

Machida Sonoko initially intended to watch the show and have some fun. After all, Hasegawa and Kasumigaoka Utaha were students at the same school, and they might have something in common, perhaps even becoming close friends after talking. But who knew it would turn out like this, leaving her somewhat stunned.

Upon hearing Hasegawa's question, Machida Sonoko panicked a little and quickly replied, "No problem. We've already prepared for Hasegawa-sensei's request."

After saying that, Machida Sonoko steadied herself slightly: "But, Hasegawa-sensei, are you really going to decide to write traditional novels? This is no joke. Although Hasegawa-sensei writes excellent light novels, light novels and traditional novels are completely different systems, and the gap between them is huge. Are you really sure you want to write traditional novels?"

"Don't worry, Editor Machida, I won't give up on light novels." Hasegawa knew what Machida Sonoko was worried about, smiled and assured her, then continued, "As for this traditional novel, well, it's because when I was in the countryside, I met a Chinese tourist who told me his story, and ever since then, I've wanted to try writing it down. The Chinese part is fine because he described it in great detail. But I'm not very familiar with the Japanese part due to my age, so I decided to try to find material. However, since I don't have many connections, I had to ask Editor Machida for help." Hasegawa explained.

Hasegawa could only offer this explanation, because otherwise it would be difficult to explain why he knew so much about the situation in China.

“Is that so? Since Mr. Hasegawa made his decision a long time ago, I will naturally support him. In fact, I have already found seven families for Mr. Hasegawa’s request. Mr. Hasegawa can set a time to consult with them and gather information. Here is the information and data of these seven families.” Machida Sonoko took out a few sheets of paper from her bag.

Hasegawa took the sheets of paper, which contained information about these households, including their livelihoods, annual income, and whether they had children. Although it was basic information, it was quite detailed. Hasegawa could use this information to get a general impression of these people before approaching them for consultation.

Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka Utaha, standing to the side, had a hint of curiosity in her eyes. She was quite curious that Hasegawa was going to write a traditional novel. Although she was also a novice writer who had just started, she was fairly clear about the boundaries between light novels and traditional novels.

It's quite surprising that Hasegawa, a light novel author, is now going to write traditional novels.

Kasumigaoka Utaha thought Hasegawa was a really strange person.

She has excellent academic performance, ranking first in her grade, just like her. Moreover, Hasegawa is a bestselling light novel author and a champion of the Jade Dragon Flag. Now she wants to write a traditional novel. Although it is unknown whether Hasegawa will ultimately succeed, these achievements still make Kasumigaoka Utaha admire her.

"Kenichi Hasegawa, what kind of person are you? You really are a mystery from head to toe." Kasumigaoka Utaha thought to herself, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Hasegawa.

Let me make an adjustment. Previously, I updated three times a day, each time with 2,000 words. Starting today, I'll update twice a day, each time with 3,000 words. Although there are fewer chapters, the word count remains the same.

Chapter 146 Relationship? Warmth

"Mr. Hasegawa."

"Hmm? Is there something you need, Ms. Kasumigaoka?" Hasegawa turned around and looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Actually, it's also because of the research. So, could I go with Hasegawa-sensei when he goes researching?"

"You're coming with me to gather materials?" Hasegawa frowned.

“Yes.” Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed completely oblivious to Hasegawa’s expression. “Actually, I already discussed it with Editor Machida from the beginning. Right, Editor Machida?” Kasumigaoka Utaha said, smiling as she looked at Machida Sonoko.

"Um, cough cough, yes, I did mention it. So, could I ask Hasegawa-sensei for a favor?" Machida Sonoko hadn't expected Kasumigaoka Utaha to bring up her again. Although Kasumigaoka Utaha's novels hadn't achieved the same success as Hasegawa's, they were both women. Furthermore, Machida Sonoko had provided more guidance and assistance to Kasumigaoka Utaha during her writing process, and they communicated more frequently, making their relationship closer than Hasegawa's. Therefore, at this moment, Machida Sonoko chose to help Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Of course, Machida Sonoko also knew that although Kasumigaoka Utaha had a slightly strange personality, she wouldn't do anything bad or affect Hasegawa's research and creation. Although she didn't quite understand Kasumigaoka Utaha's attitude, there shouldn't be any problem with Kasumigaoka Utaha wanting to go on research trips with Hasegawa.

"But I remember, 'Love Metronome' is a youth campus novel, right? Even if we were to gather material, we shouldn't be doing it in these families, should we?" Hasegawa frowned and held up the documents in his hand.

"Well, although what I'm writing is indeed about youth and school life, love is something that's universal. Even school romances eventually settle into a mundane routine, and eventually, people get married and have children. So I want to see what it's like after they get married and have kids. That will be more beneficial to my writing." Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a straight face, making up nonsense.

Although Hasegawa understood that this was mostly Kasumigaoka Utaha making things up, it was still a plausible reason. He couldn't very well refuse, since the materials themselves had been arranged by Machida Sonoko.

However, Hasegawa still didn't understand what this Ms. Kasumi Shiko was trying to do.

Seeing Hasegawa nod, Kasumigaoka Utaha revealed a smug smile: "Then, I'll have to trouble Hasegawa-sensei to give me some guidance from now on."

"It's just mutual guidance, nothing more," Hasegawa said politely but somewhat awkwardly.

"So, when does Hasegawa-sensei plan to go research?" Kasumigaoka Utaha, seeing Hasegawa's expression, felt surprisingly good and asked with a grin.

“I have some things to do these next couple of days, so I’ll have to wait a little while. But if Ms. Kasumi can’t wait, you can go and gather materials first,” Hasegawa said, maintaining his usual distance.

"No, no, no, I'm not in a rush to gather information. Besides, it's not good for us to bother people one after another. It's better to go together when the time comes," Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a smile.

"Yes." Hasegawa could only nod.

"By the way, Hasegawa-sensei, my name is Kasumigaoka Utaha. You can call me Kasumigaoka from now on, or you can call me Utaha, of course." Kasumigaoka Utaha introduced herself to Hasegawa with a smile.

"Hmm." Hasegawa frowned slightly. "Ms. Kasumi Shiko, our relationship isn't that close yet, so let's skip that kind of address. I'll teach you as Ms. Kasumi Shiko." Hasegawa made his stance very clear.

"Hasegawa-kun is really a bit rigid," Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a grin.

"Hmm?" Hasegawa couldn't help but frown as he looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha.

“We go to the same school. I’m also a student at Soubu High School, in Class 2-C. You’re Hasegawa-kun, so you should call me senpai,” Kasumigaoka Utaha explained with a grin.

Hasegawa was somewhat surprised and enlightened upon hearing this. He realized that Kasumigaoka Utaha's overly familiar demeanor from the start revealed a hidden connection. Hasegawa understood, and his feelings towards Kasumigaoka Utaha shifted slightly; at least outwardly, he no longer appeared so cold.

After all, so many coincidences coming together always make people feel a sense of warmth.

"Oh, I see. I'm so sorry, Kasumi Aki-senpai. I didn't know we had this kind of relationship. I was really rude before." Hasegawa immediately apologized and admitted his mistake.

"Well, it's alright. After all, even I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence at first. It's amazing that we're students at the same school, and not only that, but we're even under the same editor when we're writing light novels. It's such a coincidence. If we hadn't actually met, I would have thought it was just a plot in a novel," Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a smile.

"It is indeed a coincidence." Hasegawa smiled.

That's often how things are. A small change in status can alter the relationship between two people.

Just like in real life, if someone suddenly acts very familiar with you, even a little bossy, most people's first reaction would be dislike. However, if this person is a relative, or even the child of a neighbor you have a good relationship with, then the level of dislike might not be so high.

Even in the workplace, if you start working at a company and find that your boss is a senior from the same school, the relationship between the two of you will be much closer.

That's exactly how Hasegawa felt at that moment.