My dear wife, I still love you more.

Thinking this, Mrs. Yuihama's expression towards Hasegawa became strange. And then there was a feeling of heartache.

"Mrs. Yuihama, you—"

"Hasegawa-kun, how could you... how could you like boys?" Mrs. Yui sighed, her voice tinged with a hint of pain. If Hasegawa liked boys, what would she do? No, what would happen to her daughter?

"Mrs. Yuihama, I don't like boys, you've misunderstood," Hasegawa quickly explained.

"You don't like boys? Why would you buy this kind of book? Hasegawa-kun, you—"

“Mrs. Yuihama, as I said, buying it was my mistake; I didn’t notice the tag,” Hasegawa quickly explained.

"Didn't you notice its label? It wasn't very obvious, but it was clearly visible at a glance. How could you not notice it? Hasegawa-kun, what are you going to do with Yui if you keep doing this?" Mrs. Yuigahama sighed.

"Mrs. Yuihama, this is really a misunderstanding. I have no reason to lie to you. Really, I really don't like boys. I'm a normal man. I like women. I like women!" Hasegawa explained loudly.

“Hasegawa-kun, it’s already like this, you don’t need to deny it anymore. I just… I just feel heartbroken. I feel so sorry for Yui. That girl likes you so much, she’s even considering entering the entertainment industry for you. But you, you, Hasegawa-kun, I hope that you… you will tell Yui about this, at least, at least not now. And when you marry the boy you love in the future, absolutely do not tell Yui either. I… I’m afraid she won’t be able to accept it.” Mrs. Yui’s eyes reddened as she spoke.

"It's not what you think, Mrs. Yuihama. I really don't like men."

"You don't like men? Then what kind of women do you like? Yui, and cute female classmates, mature and beautiful seniors in the kendo club, cute twin-tailed manga artists, even Yukinoshita, who's known as a high-class beauty—so many outstanding girls, isn't there one you like? They're all so excellent. The only reason you don't like them is that you like boys." Mrs. Yuihama said stubbornly.

People are like that; once they've made up their minds about something, they stubbornly believe that's how things are, and they won't listen to any explanations from others. Mrs. Yuihama is exactly like that now.

Hasegawa was getting a little frustrated. He had no idea how to explain himself, especially seeing Mrs. Yuihama's convinced that he liked boys, which almost made Hasegawa explode with anger.

Hasegawa, in a moment of impulsiveness, took two quick steps forward and rushed to Mrs. Yuihama. Under Mrs. Yuihama's astonished gaze, he grabbed her head and kissed her.

Mrs. Yuihama's eyes widened, her mind went blank, and she was completely dumbfounded. She never dreamed that such a thing would happen, and she just stood there dumbfounded, having no idea what to do.

Hasegawa had acted impulsively to prove he liked women, but when he actually kissed Mrs. Yuihama on the lips, he was startled. However, Mrs. Yuihama's lips were incredibly soft, even sweet, like the taste of lip balm.

This lipstick has a scent that Hasegawa likes.

Hasegawa pulled away from Mrs. Yuihama's lips and looked at her intently.

At this moment, Mrs. Yuihama stared blankly at Hasegawa with a vacant and lifeless expression.

"Mrs. Yuihama, actually, I like you!" Hasegawa took a deep breath and said what he had kept in his heart for a long time.

"Huh? Huh???" Mrs. Yuihama woke up and couldn't help but scream. She backed away, accidentally bumping her leg on the sofa, and then uncontrollably sat down on the sofa.

"Mrs. Yuihama, I like you! From the first moment I saw you, I had a crush on you, and after spending some time together, I realized that I like you, I like you very, very much, Mrs. Yuihama!" Hasegawa went all out and confessed his feelings to Mrs. Yuihama seriously.

"Huh? This, this, how is this possible? Yui clearly likes you. You, how could you, how could you do this? I, I, that, I, no, I shouldn't, I shouldn't have done this. I, I am, I am Yui's mother, you, you, Hasegawa-kun, that, I..." Mrs. Yuihama was completely at a loss for words, and didn't even know how she should react. She was in a complete panic and couldn't even utter a single coherent sentence.

"Although this may be unexpected for you, Mrs. Yuigahama, I like you. The person I like is not Yui Yuigahama, not Busujima-senpai, and not anyone else, it's you. Mrs. Yuigahama, I like you!" Hasegawa said earnestly again.

"...Um, I think I'm too tired today. So I had auditory hallucinations, hehe, how interesting, to have such a bizarre auditory hallucination. I think I need to go and rest." Mrs. Yui looked around at him with a silly smile on her face, not daring to look Hasegawa in the eye, and got up to go back to her room to rest.

Snapped!

Hasegawa grabbed Mrs. Yuihama's wrist: "Mrs. Yuihama, it's not a hallucination, I really like you. I really, really like you, Mrs. Yuihama!"

Having already made everything clear, Hasegawa naturally didn't want to end things halfway through.

When Mrs. Yuihama heard Hasegawa confess his feelings again, she froze, and the silly smile on her face also froze.

"Although it may be unexpected, Mrs. Yuihama, I like you. I really like you." Hasegawa released Mrs. Yuihama's hand and said earnestly.

"But, but, but, this, this isn't right! How could you like me? It's clearly Yui, it's Yui who likes you! I, I'm already this old, how could you like me?" Mrs. Yuihama muttered in disbelief.

"Why can't I like you, Mrs. Yui? You are so gentle and kind. You are a very qualified wife and a very qualified marriage partner. Why can't I like you?" Hasegawa looked straight at Mrs. Yui.

Mrs. Yuigahama could feel the burning passion in Hasegawa's gaze. To be honest, Hasegawa's words filled Mrs. Yuigahama with joy, because in Japan, the highest compliment for a woman isn't "beautiful" or "cute," but rather "a very suitable marriage partner," "a very qualified wife." That is the highest form of praise.

If this were said in China, it might be taken as mockery and ridicule, just like the word "honest person," which was originally a good word but has now become a synonym for something else entirely. That's just how this era is.

Chapters 19 and 20: Chili Peppers

After being confessed to by Hasegawa, Mrs. Yuigahama lost all interest in watching the drama "Brave Ai-chan," which she followed every day. She quickly retreated to her room.

Hasegawa was a little disappointed, but also slightly relieved.

Hasegawa had been keeping his feelings for Mrs. Yui a secret, and he also had to deal with the entanglements of Yui and other girls, which put him in a difficult position. In particular, Mrs. Yui had been trying to set him up with Yui. Now that he had finally brought things out into the open, at least Mrs. Yui shouldn't cause any more trouble.

Moreover, keeping a secret in your heart can be very stressful, so now that the secret has been revealed, you'll naturally feel much more relaxed.

Back in his room, Hasegawa lay on the bed, lost in thought. He hadn't expected that he would not only confess to Mrs. Yuihama today, but also kiss her.

Thinking about the feeling of him kissing Mrs. Yuihama, Hasegawa subconsciously touched his lips and then grinned foolishly.

However, she was still a little uneasy. How would Mrs. Yuigahama face him next? Would she accept him? Would she reject him? Or would she kick Hasegawa out of the house? After all, Hasegawa's confession must have been very shocking for Mrs. Yuigahama. If Mrs. Yuigahama couldn't accept it, the best choice would be to kick Hasegawa out.

Thinking about it this way, Hasegawa became a little worried again.

Lost in thought for a while, Hasegawa didn't even realize when he fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Yuihama in the other room was equally embarrassed and flustered, not knowing what to do.

She clearly had her eye on Hasegawa and wanted him to be her son-in-law; she even went to great lengths to create opportunities for Hasegawa and Yui. In the end, Yui did fall for Hasegawa, but Hasegawa didn't reciprocate her feelings at all; instead, he was attracted to his mother.

Mrs. Yuihama was completely at a loss.

"How could this happen? Things shouldn't be like this. How am I supposed to tell Yui about this? If Yui finds out, she'll definitely be angry with me. Hasegawa-kun, how could you do this?"

"If I had known, if I had known it would turn out like this, I, I definitely, definitely wouldn't have let Yui like you. Yui didn't like Hasegawa-kun at all in the first place. It was me, it was me who lectured Yui and made her like Hasegawa-kun. If I had known, I wouldn't have done it."

"Honestly, she's already a divorced woman, at such an advanced age, with children as old as Hasegawa-kun, and yet, she actually likes him."

"Although Hasegawa-kun is very handsome, mature yet humorous, and I feel safe around him, he is also a genius and excellent in every way. How could someone like that fall in love with me?"

"Hasegawa-kun, you, you really made my life miserable."

"Yui, I promised you I'd keep an eye on Hasegawa-kun for you, but now, Hasegawa-kun is confessing his feelings to me, Mom, I, I—"

"What should we do?"

"Yui, you'll definitely blame your mother, won't you?"

"But, but I don't know why things turned out this way."

"Although Hasegawa-kun is so outstanding, I never thought of making Hasegawa-kun fall in love with me."

"I'm already this old," Mrs. Yuihama murmured to herself, unable to resist taking out a mirror.

Holding a mirror in one hand and gently stroking her cheek with the other, she said, "I'm starting to get crow's feet."

Mrs. Yuihama tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

……

The next morning, after Hasegawa got up, he found that Mrs. Yuihama hadn't come out. He couldn't help but scratch his head, wondering if she hadn't gotten up yet, or if she was too embarrassed to come out and see him.

Shaking his head, Hasegawa finished washing up and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Mrs. Yuihama still hadn't left the house. Hasegawa couldn't resist going to Mrs. Yuihama's door and knocking.

"Mrs. Yuihama, breakfast is ready."

There was no response, so Hasegawa couldn't help but knock on the door twice more. Only then did a little movement come from inside the room.

Hearing Hasegawa's voice outside, Mrs. Yuihama, still half-asleep, sat up in bed. She had gone to bed very late, around three or four in the morning, and hadn't slept for long. When Hasegawa called her to have breakfast, Mrs. Yuihama mumbled a response.

After Mrs. Yuihama mechanically changed out of her pajamas, she finally came to her senses. Thinking about Hasegawa's confession to her yesterday, she blushed and shrank into her room, too afraid to go out. She didn't know how to face Hasegawa. She had originally considered Hasegawa her son-in-law, but he wanted to be her husband. The difference in their status was too great.

However, deep down, Mrs. Yuihama felt a little smug. She thought she was still a very charming woman; otherwise, why would Hasegawa confess his feelings to her? But it was precisely after discovering this secret smugness that Mrs. Yuihama felt even more troubled. She felt she had gone too far, that she could even have such feelings, when she had clearly considered Hasegawa as her son-in-law. This little smugness made her feel as if she had betrayed her daughter.

Hasegawa saw that Mrs. Yuihama wasn't coming out at all, so he could only shake his head helplessly. After quickly eating breakfast, he went to Mrs. Yuihama's door again: "Mrs. Yuihama, I made plans to go to a comic convention with a friend, so I'll be leaving now."

"I...I understand."

Hearing Mrs. Yuihama's voice from inside the room, Hasegawa breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although she was unwilling to come out and meet him, at least she wasn't ignoring him.

As he left his house and stood at the front door, Hasegawa subconsciously turned around and glanced at Mrs. Yuihama's room.

Mrs. Yuihama's bedroom curtains were drawn, but there seemed to be a slight gap. The moment Hasegawa turned around, that gap was instantly closed.

Seeing this, Hasegawa couldn't help but laugh.

For Hasegawa, this result, while not the best, was at least not the worst. At least Mrs. Yuihama didn't seem to want to kick him out, and perhaps she didn't even have any aversion towards him.

When Hasegawa arrived at the place he had arranged to meet Aki Tomoya and the others, Aki Tomoya had already arrived, but Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri had not yet arrived.

However, the two girls didn't keep Hasegawa waiting for long; they arrived about five minutes after Hasegawa did.

The four of them arrived early, almost two hours earlier than yesterday. However, when Hasegawa and his friends went to queue, there were even more people than yesterday, and most of the extra people were boys. This time, the majority of attendees at the anime convention were male.

I arrived at the anime convention even later than yesterday, and the atmosphere was even more lively today.

Whether it was Aki Tomoya, Eriri, or even Kasumigaoka Utaha, they all seemed more excited than yesterday. Only Hasegawa seemed less enthusiastic and even spaced out from time to time.

"Hasegawa-kun, are you alright?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was focusing some of her attention on Hasegawa, and when she noticed him getting distracted from time to time, she couldn't help but ask.

"Uh, it's nothing, I'm fine." Hasegawa quickly shook his head with a smile.

"Are you really alright? You don't seem to be in good spirits today. Did something happen?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked with concern.

"I probably didn't sleep well last night. To be honest, it was my first time attending a comic convention like this, so I was too excited to sleep afterward, and my sleep quality wasn't very good," Hasegawa explained.

"Wasn't yesterday's story about BL? How come you were so excited you couldn't sleep? Hasegawa, you wouldn't happen to like BL, would you?" Eriri looked at Hasegawa with disdain. Eriri was clearly quite concerned about Hasegawa, but her words somehow took on a different meaning.

"You're the one who likes BL. I'm not interested in that kind of thing, but it's my first time at a comic convention, so it's understandable that I'm excited." Hasegawa rolled his eyes and said irritably.

"Tch." Eriri pouted. "Since this is your first time at a comic convention, you can follow me around. I'll show you around properly. Let me tell you, I've been here countless times. I know this place like the back of my hand." Eriri said arrogantly, her tone even sounding like she was doing Hasegawa a favor, even though she was actually quite willing to show Hasegawa around.

"Thank you for your kindness, but Yulin is enough."

Hasegawa's words immediately darkened Eriri's face. Seeing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha, standing nearby, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. She found Hasegawa increasingly amusing.

Upon hearing Hasegawa's words, Aki Tomoya, standing to the side, looked smug and said, "Hasegawa, don't worry. Leave everything to me. I know this place just as well as Eriri. I know every part of it like the back of my hand. I can take you wherever you want to go."

Eriri's face darkened when she heard Aki Tomoya's words. For the first time, Eriri found Aki Tomoya quite annoying.

Kasumigaoka Utaha watched from the side, but couldn't help but laugh happily, especially seeing Eriri's expression, which she found incredibly amusing.

20

"Eri, you like Hasegawa, right?" Kasumigaoka Utaha walked up to Eriri with a smile and whispered this question in her ear.

"Huh? You, you, what nonsense are you talking about, Kasumigaoka Utaha, you, you don't talk nonsense, I, I, how, how could I possibly like him?" Eriri almost jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, forcefully covering Kasumigaoka Utaha's mouth, wanting to argue loudly, but worried that if she spoke too loudly, Hasegawa would hear her, so she tried her best to lower her voice.

Kasumigaoka Utaha pushed Eriri away: "Eriri, just talk, don't get physical. But seriously, do you really not like Hasegawa-senpai?"

"I...I don't like it at all." Eriri's voice was a little weak.

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Eriri with a smile and said, "It's good that you don't like him. Since you don't like Hasegawa-senpai, then the person you like is Aki Tomoya?"

"Aki Tomoya? That guy, although he is my childhood friend, how could I possibly like someone like that? Especially since he's completely immersed in the world of anime and manga and has absolutely no feelings for girls in real life." Eriri herself didn't realize that she sounded very confident when she said this.