My dear wife, I still love you more.

Seeing Mrs. Yuihama's condition, Hasegawa clearly knew that she wasn't in better shape than before, and might even be worse. She was probably just trying to release some pent-up emotions through exercise. So Hasegawa remained silent, simply following behind Mrs. Yuihama, watching her to make sure nothing went wrong.

After running for about twenty minutes, Mrs. Yuihama's breathing became completely disordered, and she was even swaying a little, but she still showed no signs of stopping.

Seeing Mrs. Yui's state, Hasegawa shook his head. Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry. Even though Yui had only moved out to pursue her dreams, Mrs. Yui remained the same. However, Hasegawa could understand Mrs. Yui's feelings.

It's like a ten-year-old child who's still in school suddenly dropping out to work. As a mother, you'd still feel reluctant and heartbroken. Sometimes you might even cry.

Mrs. Yuihama, having lost her husband and with her daughter gone, doesn't even have anyone to comfort her. This situation is understandable.

Just then, Mrs. Yuihama's legs gave way, and she fell towards the ground. Mrs. Yuihama gasped in surprise and even closed her eyes in fear.

Fortunately, Hasegawa had been following behind Mrs. Yuihama. When he saw her fall, he rushed forward and caught her before she fell, holding her slender waist.

"Mrs. Yuihama, are you alright?"

"Ah? Whew, thank you, Hasegawa-kun, I'm fine." Mrs. Yuihama breathed a sigh of relief, her face full of gratitude.

"Are you really alright?"

"It's nothing," Mrs. Yuihama said, blushing slightly, as she tried to stand up from Hasegawa's embrace.

Before Mrs. Yuihama could even regain her balance, she suddenly cried out in pain and was about to fall again. Hasegawa quickly reached out and grabbed Mrs. Yuihama's waist again.

"Mrs. Yuihama, are you alright?"

"I... I think I twisted my ankle. It hurts a bit." Mrs. Yuihama said, her head down and her cheeks flushed.

She had just been exercising and was covered in sweat. Although Hasegawa was only just about to break a sweat, Mrs. Yuihama felt that Hasegawa's arms were very strong and powerful when he was holding her, giving her an unprecedented sense of security. At the same time, her body felt slightly warm and even weak. Fortunately, Hasegawa was supporting her, otherwise she might have collapsed to the ground.

However, Mrs. Yuihama felt a little awkward, as the two of them were standing so close. But she didn't think too much about it, since she had promised her daughter to take good care of Hasegawa, so she didn't think about it in any other way.

"Did you twist your ankle? Let's rest on the chair over there and see how your foot is." Hasegawa said, and amidst Mrs. Yuihama's exclamation, he swept her up in a princess carry.

Mrs. Yuihama instinctively wrapped her arms around Hasegawa's neck. When she realized that Hasegawa was hugging her like that, she felt even more embarrassed. It was the kind of embarrassment that comes from an elder being taken care of by a child.

Hasegawa gently placed Mrs. Yuihama on the bench next to him and took her foot in his hand.

"Hasegawa-kun—"

"Don't worry, let me check how serious your foot injury is." Hasegawa looked up and smiled, a bright and sunny smile that warmed Mrs. Yuihama's heart.

Gently, he removed Mrs. Yuihama's shoes and held her slender feet in his hands. Mrs. Yuihama felt a strange sensation well up from her feet and spread throughout her body. A strange sound inadvertently escaped from Mrs. Yuihama's lips.

Mrs. Yuihama quickly covered her mouth. She hadn't expected to make such a sound in front of Hasegawa. Mrs. Yuihama wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Mrs. Yuihama, are you alright?" Hasegawa asked quickly, thinking that his actions had hurt Mrs. Yuihama.

"No, it's nothing."

“Mrs. Yuihama, your ankle sprain is quite bad; it’s already a bit swollen. Let me massage it for you. It might hurt a little, so please bear with it,” Hasegawa said to Mrs. Yuihama.

"Yes, I understand, Hasegawa-kun, you...you do it." Mrs. Yuihama turned her face away, not daring to look at Hasegawa. She felt as if her feet were melting in his hands. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this way. It seemed like it was right after she got married—

"What are you thinking, Yuihama? You've gone too far. How could you connect those things to anything? Hasegawa-kun is the son-in-law you've chosen!" Mrs. Yuihama thought fiercely to herself.

"I'm coming." Hasegawa's voice reached Mrs. Yuihama's ears, and then Mrs. Yuihama couldn't help but cry out in pain as Hasegawa's hand had already gripped her ankle.

"Bear with it, Mrs. Yuihama will be alright soon." Hasegawa carefully applied force with both hands, while also reassuring Mrs. Yuihama.

"Hmm." Mrs. Yuihama gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed, but as she looked at Hasegawa, who was carefully massaging her ankle, and at his focused face, she found him to be exceptionally handsome, a handsomeness completely different from her usual kind.

Hasegawa looks handsome even normally, but the handsomeness he exudes now seems to be a completely different concept from that kind of handsomeness.

Looking at Hasegawa's focused face, Mrs. Yuihama gradually became a little lost.

"Mrs. Yuihama, how are you feeling now? Are you feeling better?" Hasegawa asked, looking up.

However, when she looked up, she met Mrs. Yuihama's somewhat dazed eyes.

"Huh?" Mrs. Yuihama was surprised when Hasegawa suddenly looked up. When they met each other's eyes, Mrs. Yuihama felt as if an electric current had struck her heart. Her face turned red, and she quickly turned her head away. "Um, I, I'm much better now."

"Really? That's good." Hasegawa breathed a sigh of relief, and his face once again lit up with a bright, sunny smile.

Mrs. Yuihama quietly turned her head and saw Hasegawa's bright, sunny smile again. She felt a little uneasy and quickly looked away.

Hasegawa observed Mrs. Yuihama's actions and felt a surge of joy. Although there seemed to be no progress yet, Mrs. Yuihama seemed to be subtly treating him differently, which was definitely a good thing.

With a smile, he put the socks back on Mrs. Yuihama.

"I'll do it, Hasegawa-kun, I can do it myself," Mrs. Yuihama quickly said.

“Your foot is injured, so let me do it. It will hurt a lot if you accidentally bump it.” Hasegawa smiled, ignoring Mrs. Yuihama’s little struggle, and put the shoes on her, even tying a bow with the shoelaces.

Looking at the ribbon, Mrs. Yuigahama felt a strange unease. However, she hadn't forgotten her daughter. Yui had even dropped out of school for Hasegawa, joining a talent agency to try and debut as an entertainer, hoping to be worthy of him. She had promised Yui she would keep an eye on Hasegawa. Therefore, Mrs. Yuigahama tried her best to suppress any inappropriate thoughts or ideas.

Chapter Three: The Apologetic Senior

Hasegawa and Mrs. Yuihama were in the kitchen. Mrs. Yuihama took an onion and cut it open. The pungent smell of the onion entered her nasal cavity and irritated her eyes. Uncontrollably, Mrs. Yuihama's eyes turned red, and then her tear glands were stimulated and began to secrete tears.

"Mrs. Yuihama, give it to me." Hasegawa tried to take the kitchen knife from Mrs. Yuihama's hand.

“No, no need to trouble Hasegawa-kun, I can handle it.” Mrs. Yuihama quickly shook her head.

Is it really possible?

"Of course, no problem." Mrs. Yuihama smiled, but tears still flowed uncontrollably.

Seeing Mrs. Yuihama's expression, Hasegawa withdrew his hand.

The more the onion was chopped, the stronger its pungent flavor became, and Mrs. Yuihama's eyes grew redder and redder, with tears flowing more and more freely.

Seeing Mrs. Yuigahama like this, Hasegawa couldn't help but shake her head and sigh. She understood that Yuigahama Yui was partly to blame. Mrs. Yuigahama was simply using the pungent taste of onions to shed tears.

Parents are always like this. If their children go on a trip, even for ten days or half a month, the parents won't feel sad or upset. But if their children go out to work or do other jobs, requiring them to be away from home for a long time, then the parents start to worry and feel sad, and tears become a frequent occurrence. (Don't call it being dramatic or anything like that; this is true for at least nine out of ten parental relationships.)

"Oh, this onion is so spicy." Mrs. Yuihama finally finished chopping the onion, turned around, her face full of tears, and forced a smile as she spoke to Hasegawa.

Seeing Mrs. Yuihama like this, Hasegawa felt particularly sorry for her. He couldn't help but step forward, open his arms, and hug her tightly. "Mrs. Yuihama, I understand, I understand. Yuihama has never left your side in her life. It's normal for you to feel sad now that she's suddenly gone. You don't need to hide it. I understand, I understand everything. Cry, it will make you feel better."

Mrs. Yuihama, who had initially tried to struggle, finally lay still in Hasegawa's arms after hearing his words, tears streaming down her face, and eventually began to sob in his embrace.

After a long while, Mrs. Yuihama finally stopped crying. However, at this moment, Mrs. Yuihama's cheeks were burning hot. Crying in the arms of a boy who was the same age as her daughter was such a shameful act that Mrs. Yuihama felt extremely embarrassed. At this moment, she didn't even dare to look up or face Hasegawa.

While feeling shy, she also felt that Hasegawa's embrace was incredibly warm, so warm that she didn't want to leave at all. It was warm and made her feel completely safe.

However, Mrs. Yuihama was still somewhat rational. She knew that she couldn't just hide in Hasegawa's arms forever and would eventually have to face the situation, so she struggled slightly.

Hasegawa felt the struggle in his arms and readily released Mrs. Yuihama.

"I'm sorry, Hasegawa-kun, I just lost my composure." Mrs. Yuihama took a step back, lowered her head slightly, not daring to look at Hasegawa, and wiped the tears from her face with her hand.

"It's alright, I understand. If Mrs. Yuihama still wants to cry later, my arms are always open for you," Hasegawa said gently.

"Pfft, Hasegawa-kun, you're really cute. You're clearly a boy, yet you say things like that to me. You'd be better off leaving those kinds of words for Yui." Mrs. Yuihama chuckled, shaking her head, then suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Mrs. Yuihama?"

"I...I forgot I was chopping onions and touched my eyes with my hands. I...I'll go wash them." Mrs. Yuihama ran out in a panic.

Hasegawa paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.

……

To be honest, after Yui left, it was just Hasegawa and Mrs. Yui at home. At first, there seemed to be a little awkwardness or discomfort between them. But after a couple of days, both Hasegawa and Mrs. Yui started to get used to their new way of life.

At least, Hasegawa feels that this lifestyle is much better than before, and he likes it.

……

"This way, Hasegawa-kun."

Hasegawa heard the sound and looked over, only to see Kasumigaoka Utaha standing there quietly, waving at him.

Hasegawa walked over with that awkward yet polite, formulaic smile on his face: "Sorry to keep you waiting, Kasumigaoka-senpai."

"It wasn't too long. But, it's really ungentlemanly for a guy to be late for a date with a girl, Hasegawa-kun." Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled, her hands behind her back.

"I'm sorry, but Kasumigaoka-senpai, this isn't a date, it's just a promise at most. I hope you won't misunderstand." Hasegawa's smile faded slightly, and he emphasized to Kasumigaoka Utaha very seriously.

"Huh? Okay, okay, I was just kidding. If Hasegawa-kun takes this so seriously, he'll have a hard time finding a girlfriend." Kasumigaoka Utaha's smile remained unchanged.

"Thank you for your concern, but this is my own business."

"Hasegawa-senpai, don't be so petty. Well, I know I was a bit harsh last time we met. After all, I'm just a stranger to Hasegawa-senpai, and it's bound to feel wrong for a stranger to say those things. So, I'm apologizing now, sincerely apologizing. Hasegawa-senpai, I'm sorry, so, could you please forgive my offense last time?" Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Hasegawa with a pitiful expression.

"Um, well, it's nothing." Hasegawa is the type who responds better to gentle persuasion than force. If Kasumigaoka Utaha had maintained her previous attitude, Hasegawa could have remained completely rational and calm, even continuing to reject her. However, her sudden change of attitude, and even her apology, made Hasegawa hesitate.

Hasegawa still felt something was off, wondering why Kasumigaoka Utaha had suddenly changed her attitude and even apologized to him.

Actually, after Kasumigaoka Utaha went back last time, she was a little saddened by Hasegawa's attitude towards her. She even felt that Hasegawa's attitude was a bit inexplicable. However, after thinking about it for a while, she realized that the problem actually lay with herself.

Kasumigaoka Utaha has feelings for Hasegawa, even subconsciously considering him a friend, which is why she said those things. But think about it, she unknowingly started treating Hasegawa as a friend, and subconsciously, their relationship might even be closer. However, Hasegawa doesn't know her at all. Therefore, her attitude towards Hasegawa is problematic.

Having understood the problem, Kasumigaoka Utaha had already planned to apologize to Hasegawa during their next meeting.

After all, while Kasumigaoka Utaha might have a sharp tongue, she's not arrogant; at least she's not Eriri. She'll apologize when she needs to, and she's absolutely willing to humble herself when necessary. That's the real Kasumigaoka Utaha.

In reality, a girl who knows how to apologize and reflect on her actions can already be considered an excellent girl. After all, most women nowadays, even if they are wrong, will never admit it, and even if they do, they will never back down. Therefore, a girl like Kasumigaoka Utaha, who knows how to apologize and back down, is truly rare and precious compared to her peers.

"Huh? Hasegawa-kun accepted my apology?" A hint of joy flashed in Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes.

"After all, it's nothing, so whether you apologize or not doesn't really matter." Hasegawa waved his hand. Of course, accepting her apology was one thing, but that was all.

"That's really great. Actually, Hasegawa-kun was also at fault for suddenly getting angry last time," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, pouting.

"Hmm?" Hasegawa couldn't help but frown again. Had he brought this up again?

"After all, I'm fairly well-known at school, so I'm quite confident in myself. But Hasegawa-kun seems to have never heard of me at all, especially since we met not long ago. We've met before, but Hasegawa-kun doesn't seem to remember me at all. That really hurt my confidence. I felt so inferior back then. After being ignored by Hasegawa-kun, I've been worried that I've become ugly." Kasumigaoka Utaha said this without any complaints, but rather in a pitiful tone, as if she didn't blame Hasegawa at all.

To be honest, listening to Kasumigaoka Utaha's tone, Hasegawa not only didn't get angry, but he also felt from the bottom of his heart that it really was his fault for ignoring such a beautiful woman and damaging her confidence.

"I'm sorry, I usually just study at school and don't care about anything other than what you do. But, shall we talk about meeting before?" Hasegawa asked hesitantly.

"As expected, Hasegawa-senpai didn't remember me at all. I'm really disappointed." Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her head, looking dejected.

"I'm sorry, I—"

"I even went so far as to deliberately say that Hasegawa is a jerk in order to get his attention. And that still didn't make him remember me. I guess I'm just an insignificant nobody in Hasegawa's eyes." Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed again.

"Scumbag?" Hasegawa was taken aback.

Chapter Four: Several Different Girls

"You, it's you?" Hasegawa remembered that since he came to Japan, he had only been called a scumbag once.