My dear wife, I still love you more.

Hasegawa suddenly realized why he felt like he had seen Kasumigaoka Utaha before, but he couldn't quite place her.

"Yeah, because I'm a little interested in kendo, and also because I need material for my writing, I went to Fukuoka to watch the Tamatsubune tournament. After seeing Hasegawa's match at Tamatsubune, I thought he was really super handsome, and I was a little smitten. So I wanted to make an impression on him, which is why I called him a scumbag in order to get his attention. But, as expected, in Hasegawa's eyes, I'm nothing special. Even so, I couldn't get his attention. Sigh, I'm such a failure." Kasumigaoka Utaha said, then sighed again.

Kasumigaoka Utaha truly lives up to her reputation as a writer; she can smooth things over in every way. By slightly modifying some of her words before reciting them, the overall impression becomes completely different.

What Kasumigaoka Utaha said is exactly what a girl who fell in love with Hasegawa at first sight and began to have a crush on him did in order to attract his attention, resulting in various uncomfortable behaviors. It's like a kindergarten boy bullying a girl in order to get her attention.

Hasegawa had a bit of a headache, but along with it, he felt a slight sense of happiness. After all, the thought of a pretty girl secretly having a crush on him was still quite appealing. However, the thought that quite a few girls already liked him made Hasegawa's headache return.

Of course, Kasumigaoka Utaha was only slightly troubled, but what gave Hasegawa the biggest headache was Yuigahama Yui.

"I'm sorry, Kasumigaoka-senpai. I... I'm not thinking about dating right now. So, I'm sorry," Hasegawa said clearly.

"Huh? Hasegawa-kun doesn't want to date? Or does he already have a girlfriend? I remember during the Jade Dragon Flag competition, Hasegawa-kun had a few girls around him—" Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes lit up.

"They are all my friends, but we are not in a romantic relationship."

"Is that so? That's wonderful. So it means I have a chance too, right, Hasegawa-kun?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's tone was filled with enthusiasm and joy.

"Um, Kasumigaoka-senpai, I, I think, you, I'm sorry, Kasumigaoka-senpai, I think we might not be a good match."

"Why? Hasegawa-kun doesn't have a girlfriend, does he? Or am I really that bad?" Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Hasegawa with that pitiful expression again.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, this is only our second meeting, and we don't know each other well. Don't you think making this decision under these circumstances is... a bad idea?" Hasegawa frowned slightly.

"This is the third time we've met. But it's true, Hasegawa-kun doesn't really know me very well. Well, my name is Kasumigaoka Utaha, I'm seventeen years old, my birthday is January 31st, and my measurements are 8—"

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, you—"

"Oh, oh, oh, just kidding. I wouldn't be so rash as to tell you my measurements, not even Hasegawa-kun." Kasumigaoka Utaha blinked, stuck out her tongue, and said playfully.

"..." Hasegawa suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed by a girl like Kasumigaoka Utaha. He was having trouble dealing with girls like her. The girls he'd met before, like Yuigahama Yui, Busujima Saeko, and even Hiratsuka Shizuka Eriri, didn't have such aggressive personalities.

But the Kasumigaoka Utaha in front of him seemed extremely aggressive and proactive. Even though this was only their second—no, their third—meeting, she had already begun to take the initiative. Hasegawa was finding it hard to cope.

If Kasumigaoka Utaha maintained the same attitude as before, Hasegawa could remain indifferent and keep his distance. However, Kasumigaoka Utaha's attitude this time is completely different from the previous two times. Hasegawa is now at a loss as to how to respond.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, please stop making jokes like that." Hasegawa took a deep breath and said seriously to Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Alright, alright, since Hasegawa-senpai doesn't want to joke, then I won't. But seriously, I like Hasegawa-senpai. It's true, I'm not kidding." Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Hasegawa with her wine-red eyes filled with seriousness.

"I'm very grateful for your kind words, Kasumigaoka-senpai, but I don't think we're a good match." Hasegawa once again stated his rejection very clearly.

"Hasegawa-senpai, don't you think it's a bit hasty to reject me so directly? Hasegawa-senpai, you said before that we don't know each other very well yet, so how do you know we're not a good match?" Kasumigaoka Utaha seized on Hasegawa's earlier words.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, you know we don't know each other at all, yet you confessed to me directly. Isn't that a hasty decision?" Hasegawa replied sharply.

"Hmm, Hasegawa-kun is really impressive. However, it does seem a bit hasty. How about we get to know each other better? Go on a few more dates, get to know each other better, and then make other decisions?" Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Hasegawa with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I... I have someone I like," Hasegawa simply said.

"Huh? You really have someone you like? Who is it? Is it one of those four girls from Fukuoka?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked directly. This was also the question she was most worried about.

Although Kasumigaoka Utaha is quite confident in herself, if Hasegawa has someone he likes, becoming his girlfriend will be extremely difficult. While she feels she likes Hasegawa quite a bit, being a third party doesn't feel right. Of course, Hasegawa isn't married right now, so snatching him away from other girls is still an option.

"That's right, there was a girl I liked in there, but in Fukuoka there were three girls, and one of them was an elder." Hasegawa nodded directly, pulling out a shield for himself.

"Do you really have a girl you like? If you like her, why haven't you two made it official? So, you're lying to me, aren't you?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was a smart person and not so easily fooled.

"I'm not lying to you. It's because Yui's dream is to become an idol, and idols aren't suited to have boyfriends, which is why we haven't become a real couple." Hasegawa directly brought up Yui, since she's already in the entertainment industry and is furthest from him, so using her as a shield is more appropriate.

"Yuigahama, Yui?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes darted around. To be honest, she wasn't entirely convinced. After all, Hasegawa's words were somewhat contradictory. However, it was somewhat plausible, if one were to force it. But, based on a girl's intuition, she felt that Yuigahama Yui wasn't someone Hasegawa liked. Otherwise, Hasegawa would have called her Yui directly when he spoke, instead of accidentally mentioning Yuigahama's surname.

Hasegawa wasn't sure if he could fool Kasumigaoka Utaha, but since he had already removed this shield, he couldn't give up: "That's right, it's Yui. She has now joined Nogizaka46. At the same time, we have also made a decision that in two and a half years, Yui will come back to me."

"Two and a half years? That should be the agreement you made, right? If you still like each other after two and a half years, then she will come back. If, during these two and a half years, you or she changes her mind, or if she doesn't want to give up her idol career, then your agreement will be null and void, right?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes darted around.

"Yes, that's right, that's the agreement." Hasegawa nodded quickly; the reason made sense.

"I'm so envious of that kind of promise. But, Hasegawa-kun, are you sure you or she can keep this promise?"

"Nobody knows what the future holds, but at least for now, I believe in us," Hasegawa said earnestly.

"It really is true, a two-and-a-half-year agreement, it feels like something out of a novel. But it also means I have at least two and a half years." Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly laughed again.

"kindness?"

"Two and a half years to change your mind," Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a playful smile.

"...I will not change my mind." Hasegawa said firmly.

"Well, Hasegawa-senpai said it himself, who knows what the future holds? So maybe I'll make Hasegawa-senpai fall in love with me in the next two and a half years," Kasumigaoka Utaha said confidently.

"Impossible." Hasegawa shook his head with unusual decisiveness.

"Don't make any promises about the future now. After all, who knows what the future holds? Alright, Hasegawa-kun, let's go. It's almost time for our appointment, we can't be late." Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed completely unconcerned about Hasegawa's attitude, smiling as she took a few steps forward and then waved to him.

Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha like this, Hasegawa felt helpless. How did things suddenly turn out this way? He had clearly decided to keep his distance from Kasumigaoka Utaha and not have any further contact with her except for this research trip. But now, it seemed that he was being entangled by Kasumigaoka Utaha.

However, Hasegawa's mind was already made up, so while Kasumigaoka Utaha might be a bit troublesome, that was about it. He didn't think Kasumigaoka Utaha could ultimately do anything. Nevertheless, he'd try to maintain distance and then distance himself from her.

Chapter Five: Interesting Souls

"Ah, Anada..." The wife, in her thirties, smiled slightly as she spoke of her husband, recounting their story with a touch of happiness.

Hasegawa sat opposite him, holding a small notebook in his hand, quickly jotting down snippets of information.

Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka Utaha sat next to Hasegawa, resting her chin on her hand as she listened to the words of the woman opposite her. She would occasionally glance down at what Hasegawa had written down, and a hint of dazedness would flash in her eyes from time to time.

Putting Hasegawa aside, this kind of research was his own choice. As for Kasumigaoka Utaha, she initially came along simply to see Hasegawa's thoughts and to spend more time with him. However, she didn't expect that these sources, which she initially thought would have no use for her writing, would actually provide her with a lot of inspiration.

"Thank you for your help." Hasegawa closed his notebook and bowed deeply to express his gratitude.

"You're welcome, it's nothing. Besides, I've been wanting to say these things to someone for a while, but I was a little embarrassed. I'm already very grateful that you're willing to listen to me," the wife said, equally politely.

After leaving, Hasegawa flipped through the notebook in his hand. He had been gathering material for several days in a row. Besides the wife mentioned above, the subjects he gathered were other people, mostly couples of different ages. There were newlywed couples, couples in their thirties, couples in their forties, couples in their fifties, retired couples, and even divorced couples living alone or widowed couples.

Hasegawa used up almost a thick notebook just to jot down some basic information.

At the same time, Hasegawa also observed that while feminism is prevalent in China, some women in Japan are also beginning to pursue independence. Of course, Japanese women are pursuing independence, and while they may have some aspects of feminism, they are seeking true equality, not the distorted, rural feminism that has begun to emerge in China.

Meanwhile, some women in Japan are quite ruthless. After marriage, they set traps for their husbands, then divorce them, leaving them with nothing.

Hasegawa realized, especially the last point, that although women in Japan have a relatively low social status, they have a significant advantage in divorce cases. Generally speaking, in divorces, the husband usually leaves with nothing.

It was only then that Hasegawa realized how kind Mrs. Yuihama had been when they divorced. If Mrs. Yuihama had been more decisive, she could have simply given her ex-husband the money he had borrowed in her name. However, Mrs. Yuihama was too kind-hearted and ended up taking on those debts herself.

Hasegawa couldn't help but shake his head. He found it a bit strange. Hadn't Mrs. Yuihama considered her and her daughter's position back then? If it weren't for Hasegawa, things wouldn't have been resolved so easily.

Of course, without Hasegawa, Mrs. Yuigahama and the others might have faced some difficulties. Given Hiratsuka Shizuka's personality, if something really happened, she would probably get involved in her own students' affairs, without considering other matters much. However, she would likely handle the issues related to the yakuza.

However, although Hasegawa had some complaints about Yuihama's kindness, it was precisely because of this kindness that Hasegawa liked her the most.

Hasegawa was married in his previous life, but he met a wife who championed traditional feminism, and they eventually divorced. While he wasn't exactly left with nothing, it wasn't far off. Therefore, in Hasegawa's current view, a woman doesn't have to be beautiful, but she must have a good character and be kind. This way, he won't encounter unpleasant things after marriage.

Think about those women who, after marriage, demand their husbands hand over their bank cards, leaving them only a small allowance, yet expect gifts and surprises during holidays. Those who earn little complain their husbands are unambitious, while those who work hard complain their husbands don't care about them or know how to cherish them. They spend money extravagantly, yet their husbands can't spend a penny on their own parents. Their own parents can stay for a month or two, but their husband's parents can't even stay for a day or two.

To be honest, Hasegawa has a lot of trauma. If he hadn't traveled to this world and met Mrs. Yuihama, and if he hadn't spent some time with her and learned about her personality, Hasegawa might have wanted to stay single for the rest of his life, even in Japan.

"Hasegawa-kun. Is the research trip over already?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked with a smile, standing next to Hasegawa.

"Yes, it's all over. We've finished interviewing all the subjects that Editor Machida assigned us, and now we need to go back and create." Hasegawa nodded and closed the notebook in his hand.

"What a pity, it's over so soon," Kasumigaoka Utaha said regretfully.

"I don't feel regretful, because I've already gotten what I wanted," Hasegawa said with a faint smile.

"But I'm disappointed that I didn't get what I wanted at all. I've spent so much time with Hasegawa-kun, but I haven't been able to get any closer to him." Kasumigaoka Utaha was very direct, staring intently at Hasegawa.

Hasegawa frowned slightly: "Kasumigaoka-senpai, I've already said it, it's impossible for us. Don't waste your time."

“We haven’t even started yet, how do you know it’s impossible? Besides, at first I only had a slight liking for Hasegawa-senpai, but after spending time together and seeing how serious Hasegawa-senpai is when he’s doing research, I’ve realized that I’ve really fallen for him.”

"...Don't joke around, Kasumigaoka-senpai. I think your so-called affection is just a superficial liking for appearance, or simply lust at first sight. If I weren't like this now, but rather very ugly, Kasumigaoka-senpai probably wouldn't even pay attention to me." Hasegawa shook his head, speaking very directly.

"Lust at first sight?" Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her head as if in thought, one hand crossed over her chest, while the other hand gently tapped her chin with her fingers. "Hasegawa-senpai's statement doesn't seem wrong. It was during the Jade Dragon Flag competition that I suddenly saw Hasegawa-senpai's face and thought he was so handsome, and that's when I started to develop feelings for him."

"Right, I'll just say it like this. Kasumigaoka-senpai, whether you're good-looking or not isn't important; what's important is your interesting soul."

"An interesting soul? That's a strange way of putting it, but it doesn't seem so bad." Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded.

"So, Kasumigaoka-senpai, we're really not a good match. You only saw my appearance. You should find someone with an interesting soul." Hasegawa breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued.

"But I find Hasegawa's soul quite interesting."

"Forehead."

"Perhaps at first, like Hasegawa-senpai said, I was initially attracted to Hasegawa-senpai because of his appearance. But that was just the beginning. Later, I discovered that Hasegawa-senpai has a very interesting soul, so at that time, I began to like him. It's no longer just about looks. Therefore, given that both have interesting souls, I would naturally prefer someone with a good appearance as well. Hasegawa-senpai," Kasumigaoka Utaha said to Hasegawa with a grin.

"..." Hasegawa was a little speechless: "Alright, Kasumigaoka-senpai, the interview is over, so let's stop here."

"Wait, Hasegawa-kun."

"Is there anything else?"

"Hasegawa-kun, I find the materials you gathered quite useful to me, so could I borrow them to take a look?" Kasumigaoka Utaha pointed to the notebook in Hasegawa's hand.

Hasegawa frowned slightly: "Since Kasumigaoka-senpai thinks this information is useful, why didn't you take notes when you were gathering the data?"

"Well, at first, I really didn't think these materials would be helpful to my writing, but by the time I found them helpful, the research was almost over. By then it was too late to take notes, and since Hasegawa-kun had already taken notes, I didn't bother to take any myself," Kasumigaoka Utaha said quite matter-of-factly.

"Sorry, I still need this information for now. If you still need it after I finish my work, I'll give it to you then."

"But I need it urgently! I haven't even started writing the third volume of Love Metronome yet, and Editor Machida is really anxious."

"I'm sorry, I need it urgently too." Hasegawa shook his head directly, refusing decisively.

"How about this, let's watch it together, shall we? We can get together while we're writing," Kasumigaoka Utaha revealed her plan this time.

"Sorry, no."

"Hasegawa-kun, even if you don't accept my confession, I'm still your suitor. How can you be so heartless as to reject me like this?" Kasumigaoka Utaha said, looking at Hasegawa with teary eyes.

"I'll go to a printing shop and reprint this document for you." Hasegawa waved his notebook and came up with this solution on the spot.

Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. She hadn't expected Hasegawa to come up with such an idea. Just how much did Hasegawa hate her to do something like this? She was clearly a very charming girl.

Chapter Six: Mrs. Sawamura's Expectations

Neither Hasegawa nor Kasumigaoka Utaha were short of money, so in the end Kasumigaoka Utaha left disappointed with the photocopy.

Hasegawa breathed a sigh of relief after Kasumigaoka Utaha left.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was the most proactive girl Hasegawa had ever met. It really proves the saying: an ugly man will never know how proactive a girl can be.