My dear wife, I still love you more.

In fact, Hasegawa could tell to some extent that Kasumigaoka Utaha only had a certain fondness for him. To say that she liked him or loved him was a bit lacking, at least not yet. But even so, Kasumigaoka Utaha still took the initiative. It can only be said that she and Eriri are completely different types of people.

To be honest, based on Hasegawa's understanding of Kasumigaoka Utaha, he didn't think that Kasumigaoka Utaha would give up so easily, but at least his actions could make Kasumigaoka Utaha restrain herself a little.

"I am back!"

Back home, Hasegawa casually mentioned it, but there was no sound from inside. Mrs. Yuihama had already gone back to work and was never home during the day.

Hasegawa went straight to his bedroom with his laptop, ready to start writing his novel. Because of some recent information and data, Hasegawa had completely revised the outline for the Japanese part, and even made some minor adjustments to the outline for the Chinese part.

After all, he had initially planned to interweave stories from both China and Japan to create a stark contrast. Therefore, changing one aspect necessitated adjustments to the other. At the same time, Hasegawa felt that the content he wanted to write also needed to be expanded.

Originally, Hasegawa only focused on two families, one in China and one in Japan. However, after conducting research and gaining a deeper understanding of the situation in Japan, he felt that a single example wasn't comprehensive enough. But if he included stories from several families, the book would become too bloated. Therefore, he needed a central theme, with other stories added as needed.

Sitting in front of the computer, Hasegawa kept writing, deleting, and modifying his outline. The more he had to control, the more troublesome it became to write.

With the continuous revisions to the outline, Hasegawa even scrapped most of his previous outlines. Even a portion of the main text he had written about the Celestial Empire needed to be scrapped and rewritten.

However, Hasegawa didn't feel it was a pity. After all, if he could write something better and more outstanding, then replacing what he had written before was acceptable.

However, the writing outline, which was originally expected to be completed soon, has had to be postponed for some time.

However, once the outline is written, Hasegawa's book will soon be completed. After all, a traditional novel isn't like a web novel, which can be written in dozens of volumes or reach millions of words before it's finished. Traditional novels, under 20,000 words, are short stories. 30,000 to 50,000 words are novellas. And novels, at most, are around 100,000 to 150,000 words.

Hasegawa plans to write about the lives of ordinary people in both China and Japan, along with other aspects. Therefore, Hasegawa estimates that his novel will be around 150,000 words, and after some refinement, the word count may be even lower.

Therefore, in the traditional sense, for Hasegawa, once the outline was written, the novel was almost finished.

Hasegawa plans to dedicate most of his summer vacation to this traditional novel. As for the fourth volume of *Tokyo Ghoul*, he intends to write it in his spare time. Fortunately, it's summer vacation now, with plenty of free time. Even regarding kendo, since he has already broken through to the Sword Saint realm and reached the maximum level, he no longer needs to practice, saving him even more time.

That's why Hasegawa's approach was able to be implemented.

With his hands off the keyboard, Hasegawa picked up the materials he had gathered earlier and began to carefully review them. Some parts were written in a rather simple or even rudimentary style, but Hasegawa could understand their meaning, so it didn't hinder his reading.

I read through these materials and information repeatedly, then worked through them, eventually developing them into individual storylines. How to arrange the storylines afterward, whether to cut them out, that needs to be summarized at the end.

"Ring ring..."

Hasegawa frowned slightly as his phone rang suddenly; the call at this hour was disturbing him.

Hasegawa took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and was somewhat taken aback.

"Hello, I am Kenichi Hasegawa."

"Kenichi. It's me. It's been so many days since the Jade Dragon Flag incident ended, why haven't you come to see Eriri?" Sawamura Sayuri's voice came through the phone.

“Mrs. Sawamura, I’ve been quite busy lately, doing research, so I haven’t had much free time,” Hasegawa explained.

"Huh? Gathering material? Is it for that traditional novel you're writing?"

"Yes, that's it."

"Oh, I see. But didn't you say you wanted to ask me for information? I've been waiting for you for so long, and you haven't even come to see me."

"Um, I'm sorry, Mrs. Sawamura. However, I've already consulted with her before. Besides, Mrs. Sawamura's family is quite different from the family in the novel I'm writing about. So, when I was researching, a lot of the material wasn't something she could provide me. So—"

"I see. Well, never mind, there's nothing we can do if it's not suitable. But Eriri has been talking about you all this time, and not only did you not come, you didn't even call once. That's a bit much, Kenichi."

"Uh." Hasegawa's expression couldn't help but become a little strange. Hasegawa knew perfectly well that Eriri liked Aki Tomoya, so what difference did it make whether he called or not? At most, when he went to Eriri's house, he would just invite Aki Tomoya along—no, he should say he would invite Aki Tomoya along, and then Hasegawa would go over too.

Hasegawa didn't quite understand how Sawamura Sayuri had gotten herself into this mess. Shouldn't Sawamura Sayuri know that Eriri likes Aki Tomoya?

Hmm. But thinking about it, it makes sense. Most parents probably wouldn't like someone like Aki Tomoya who only cares about anime, so is Sawamura Sayuri trying to break up Aki Tomoya and Eriri? Hasegawa thought to himself.

"Kenichi, when are you coming to visit Eriri? No, I mean, when are you going to discuss the manga's plot with Eriri?" Sayuri Sawamura asked again.

"Well, I've been busy writing my novel lately, so I haven't had much time," Hasegawa hesitated for a moment.

"But what about the manga? It's the culmination of your and Eriri's hard work."

"If there are any problems, just have Sawamura contact me online, and we can talk online." Hasegawa came up with this idea without even thinking.

"...online?"

"That's right. Online chat software."

Hasegawa eventually hung up the phone with Sayuri Sawamura. Sayuri's voice was filled with disappointment, but Hasegawa was decisive and did not hesitate at all.

Although Hasegawa's emotional intelligence isn't particularly high, he's not oblivious either. So Hasegawa could sense that Sawamura Sayuri was trying to matchmake him and Eriri. However, Hasegawa felt that Sawamura Sayuri was just playing matchmaker. She didn't know her daughter's thoughts at all, or perhaps she knew Eriri's thoughts but wanted to change Eriri's mind.

A forced melon won't be sweet; although it may quench your thirst, it's simply not sweet.

Hasegawa felt that Sayuri Sawamura was probably just indulging in unrequited love. Therefore, Hasegawa didn't take the matter too seriously.

Meanwhile, at Eriri's house, Sayuri Sawamura regretfully hung up the phone, then looked up and saw Eriri hiding in the corner.

"Eri, Kenichi said he doesn't have time, so he's not coming."

"Hmph, if he doesn't want to come, he doesn't want to come. Why would I care if he comes? Hmph!" Eriri snorted and turned to run to her room.

……

Hasegawa continued to focus his energy on writing. He kept writing out outlines, then deleting parts and adding more. In particular, he wrote down the plot points he had derived from reviewing the materials, then began to think about which points were suitable to include, which needed to be deleted, which needed to be modified and added in, and where to add them.

While Hasegawa was engrossed in his writing, the front door opened, and Mrs. Yuihama returned carrying a handbag and a paper bag, softly saying, "I'm home."

After changing her shoes, Mrs. Yuigahama did not hear Hasegawa's voice, so she put down what she was holding and went upstairs to Hasegawa's door. She raised her right hand to knock, but then paused. After thinking for a moment, she did not continue to knock. Instead, she grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it, but it did not lock from the inside.

Mrs. Yuihama gently pushed the door open a crack and saw Hasegawa sitting in front of the computer. She saw that Hasegawa was very focused and typing something quickly on the computer.

Hasegawa's focused expression was particularly handsome in Mrs. Yuihama's eyes. After watching him quietly for a while, Mrs. Yuihama smiled, quietly closed the door, and then slowly walked downstairs, trying to make as little noise as possible: "Hasegawa-kun looks very tired, so let me prepare a sumptuous dinner for Hasegawa-kun."

Chapter Seven: The Return of a Hobby

"Hasegawa-kun, dinner is ready." Mrs. Yuihama knocked on the door and said to Hasegawa.

Hasegawa, who was concentrating on organizing the outline, was taken aback. He turned around and saw Mrs. Yuihama standing at the door with a gentle expression, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face as well.

"Huh? It's already this late? I'm so sorry, I completely forgot the time. Now I'm troubling Mrs. Yuihama, who's been working all day, to make dinner." Hasegawa said apologetically.

"It's nothing, the work isn't too hard, and it's just making dinner, so I don't feel tired at all," Mrs. Yuihama said to Hasegawa with a smile.

“How can I not feel tired after a long day at work? Mrs. Yuihama, please remind me if I forget the time again next time.” Hasegawa said earnestly.

Mrs. Yui smiled and didn't say anything, but her attitude remained the same: if Hasegawa hadn't cooked dinner when she returned, then dinner would still be left to her.

Seeing Mrs. Yuihama like this made Hasegawa happy, and it was precisely this kind of personality of Mrs. Yuihama that Hasegawa liked the most.

Although Hasegawa felt a certain fondness for Mrs. Yuihama when he first saw her after transmigrating, it was merely an appreciation of his own aesthetic sense. It was only later, after gaining a better understanding of Mrs. Yuihama's personality, that Hasegawa began to truly like her, feeling that she was a very suitable person to marry. As a result, Hasegawa became more and more deeply infatuated with Mrs. Yuihama, to the point that he liked her very much.

The table was set with simple yet nutritionally balanced dishes, with Hasegawa and Mrs. Yui sitting on either side, facing each other.

"How is it, Hasegawa-kun? How's the dinner I made?" Mrs. Yuihama was happy to see Hasegawa eating so happily.

"Very good! Mrs. Yuihama's cooking skills are quite impressive; every dish is especially delicious." Hasegawa gave Mrs. Yuihama a thumbs up.

"Hasegawa-kun, what you're saying is way too exaggerated. Your cooking skills are clearly much better than mine."

"It's not about cooking skills, it's about the heart. In short, I think Mrs. Yuihama's cooking is the best food in the world," Hasegawa said firmly.

Mrs. Yuihama blushed slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face. Even though she knew her cooking skills weren't as good as Hasegawa's, being praised like that made her very happy.

……

To be honest, if I had to describe Hasegawa and Mrs. Yuigahama's relationship in one word, it would be "mediocre".

Whether it's their way of getting along or other aspects, the word "ordinary" can be used to describe it. Putting aside Mrs. Yuigahama, Hasegawa also seems to have done nothing too extreme or excessive.

However, this is quite normal. Neither Mrs. Yuihama nor Hasegawa are at the emotionally mature stage of youth—they aren't the type to be impulsive and passionate. They probably don't enjoy the kind of intense, ardent love or anything like that. Instead, this kind of peaceful, warm life is what they can best accept and enjoy at their age.

At least, Hasegawa thoroughly enjoys this kind of life. The only slight regret is that Hasegawa needs to deliberately maintain a certain distance from Mrs. Yuigahama. After all, aside from the age gap between the two, what's more important is that there's Yuigahama Yui between them.

In particular, Hasegawa knew the situation perfectly well. Mrs. Yui, however, seemed completely oblivious; that hymen had remained unbroken.

Hasegawa isn't in a hurry right now. After all, there's still time, at least a long time, at least two and a half years. So, Hasegawa's approach is to take it slow and let everything unfold naturally. First, let Mrs. Yuihama gradually become familiar with his presence and their way of getting along, and then break through little by little.

After all, there's Yuigahama Yui among them, so it's absolutely impossible to explain it very directly.

……

"Mr. Hasegawa, the third volume of Tokyo Ghoul has already gone on sale, along with the revised editions of volumes one and two. Now, we just need to wait for tomorrow's data. However, I have great confidence in you, Mr. Hasegawa. I believe that even the revised editions of volumes one and two will definitely achieve excellent results," Machida Sonoko said confidently to Hasegawa over the phone.

"Uh, is it?"

“Of course. Doesn’t Mr. Hasegawa have confidence? I have a lot of confidence in you.” Machida Sonoko said very seriously.

"Confidence? Of course I do. I just didn't expect time to fly by so fast. Volume 3 and the revised volumes 1 and 2 are already on sale." Hasegawa glanced at the time and said with a hint of realization.

"Huh? Hasegawa-sensei, you haven't forgotten that volumes one, two, and three of Tokyo Ghoul went on sale today, have you?"

"Well, it's summer vacation after all, so it's inevitable that the schedule will be a bit chaotic, and it's normal to forget the time for a while," Hasegawa said a little embarrassedly.

"Mr. Hasegawa, you really leave me speechless. But is it because of the summer vacation? Or is it because you've been working on that traditional novel all this time?" Machida Sonoko couldn't help but complain.

"Sorry sorry."

"Mr. Hasegawa, I know you're writing traditional novels, but you can't put all your energy into that one. You should at least pay attention to Tokyo Ghoul. So many people like it. Also, based on the previous situation, you should have handed me the content for the fourth volume of Tokyo Ghoul by now. But now, it seems like you have no intention of handing me the content for the fourth volume at all. You don't mean you haven't written it yet, do you?" Machida Sonoko said with a hint of complaint.

"Uh, sorry, sorry, I really forgot. But I've already finished writing the fourth volume. I'll send it to you right away," Hasegawa said apologetically.

Actually, the content of the fourth volume was really just a little bit off, but only a little bit, because Hasegawa put too much energy into the outline of the traditional novel, or he was immersed in the time he spent alone with Mrs. Yuihama.

To be honest, as a transmigrator, Hasegawa had lost interest in things like TV dramas. In fact, before his transmigration, he hadn't seriously watched a TV series in a long time. However, Hasegawa recently rediscovered this hobby.

Well, Mrs. Yuigahama seems to really enjoy watching TV dramas. Every night, she watches them for hours in the living room. After Hasegawa noticed this, he suddenly realized that Japanese TV dramas are really amazing. Although the actors in the dramas all have incredibly expressive faces, turning perfectly normal faces into strange and funny expressions, it's still quite entertaining.

So, Hasegawa developed a love for watching TV dramas. Every evening, he would sit on the sofa with Mrs. Yuihama and watch TV dramas.

At first, Mrs. Yuihama was a little puzzled, but when she heard Hasegawa say that watching more TV dramas would be good for his writing and could provide inspiration, she suddenly understood.

As a result, the content of the fourth volume of Tokyo Ghoul, which should have been completed with plenty of time, is still a little short.

Machida Sonoko was unaware that the fourth volume of Tokyo Ghoul was almost finished. When she heard Hasegawa say that it was already completed, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Hasegawa-sensei was indeed Hasegawa-sensei, very trustworthy, and there was no need to worry too much.

After hanging up the phone, Hasegawa looked at the outline he had almost finished writing, shook his head, closed it temporarily, and then found the manuscript of Tokyo Ghoul. It was already 90,000 words long, just a little short. So he quickly typed on the keyboard, and line after line of text was continuously typed out by Hasegawa.

Fortunately, Hasegawa's writing skills had been upgraded to level 4, and the plot was relatively smooth without getting stuck, so he wrote very quickly, reaching more than 100,000 words in just over an hour.

Hasegawa breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the word count. He then checked for grammatical and textual errors, made some minor revisions, and sent it directly to Machida Sonoko.

After receiving the manuscript from Hasegawa, Machida Sonoko simply replied with an emoji and then went offline.

Leaning back in his chair, Hasegawa stared blankly at the computer screen for about two minutes before sitting up straight and reopening his outline. He should get back to working on his outline; the sooner he resolved it, the less he'd have to work so hard.

Hasegawa removed his hands from the keyboard and let out a long sigh. The outline of the novel, after continuous revisions and improvements, was finally complete.

Looking at the outline he had written, Hasegawa felt a sense of satisfaction, even more so than when he was writing Tokyo Ghoul. Although it took far less time to write, he had put in far more effort in a shorter period. The more effort he put in, the greater the sense of accomplishment upon completion.