How to raise a random guy's wife

The footsteps grew closer, and Kasumigaoka Utaha's heart pounded faster and faster.

Finally, Kobayashi Sora stopped by the sofa.

Chapter 17 Unexpected

what to do......

Kasumigaoka Utaha tried to calm herself down and think things through.

The meeting room is well soundproofed; even if someone calls for help, they might not be heard outside.

Only on your own.

You can pretend you don't feel anything, then take the opportunity to attack his vital points and escape while he's in pain.

Okay, let's do it that way.

Kasumigaoka Utaha finally made up her mind when she suddenly heard Kobayashi Sora's voice.

"Senior, you should wash your feet; they smell like natto."

"You're the one who tastes like natto!" Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly opened her eyes, her face flushed with anger as she glared at Kobayashi Sora beside the sofa.

"You weren't asleep?" Kobayashi Sora tossed the blanket and pillow onto Kasumigaoka Utaha. "Then you can do whatever you want with it."

Turns out she went out to get a pillow and blanket...

Kasumigaoka Utaha then realized how unreliable her wild thoughts were. After all, this was the editorial department, and even if Kobayashi Sora wouldn't be here to do something bad.

Huffing and puffing, Kasumigaoka Utaha lay on the sofa, her head on a pillow, staring at Kobayashi Sora, who had resumed her work.

Damn it... I didn't perform well just now.

She should have retaliated more decisively, but because of her previous overthinking and Kobayashi Sora's surprising remarks, Kasumigaoka Utaha was a beat slow to react.

So the current situation is...

If you try to hold back for a while, you'll only get angrier the more you think about it.

We need to find a way to get back at them.

Kasumigaoka Utaha pondered repeatedly, and the scene before her gradually changed, as if shrouded in a layer of black mist. No, it wasn't black mist, but rather a thin fabric... Were those black pantyhose?!

Kasumigaoka Utaha reached out to touch it, feeling a sticky sensation on her hand. What was wrapped inside the pantyhose... natto?!

She suddenly opened her eyes, and the scene before her shattered into a conference room bathed in afternoon sunlight.

Kobayashi Sora was still sitting at the table, typing on the keyboard.

Kasumigaoka Utaha reached out and touched her thigh with lingering fear, feeling the delicate skin beneath her pantyhose, completely different from Natto's.

It's so good that it didn't turn into natto.

Kasumigaoka Utaha glared fiercely at Kobayashi Sora.

It was all because of his previous nonsense that she had such strange dreams.

"I've finished writing." Kobayashi Sora interlaced her fingers and did a simple stretch. "Come and take a look when you wake up."

"School Harem"

"Ok?"

"The new work is a school harem."

"That's good." Kobayashi Sora didn't know why Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly brought this up.

“It was Ms. Machida’s proposal,” Kasumigaoka Utaha said, getting up from the sofa and tidying her messy hair. “Each volume features a new female lead, and everyone likes the male lead.”

“It’s a very popular topic lately, Ms. Machida’s suggestion is excellent.” Kobayashi Sora nodded, trying to steer the conversation back on track. “Take a look at the manuscript, then go back and prepare the outline.”

"how about you?"

"Let's go back to my house," Kobayashi Sora replied succinctly. "That's all for today's work."

"I'm not sure..."

“That’s how all new works are.” Kobayashi Sora packed her things. “Your advantage is that the heroine of the previous work appeared in the second volume, so the heroine who appears in the first volume of the new work may not be the final protagonist. Such speculation will accompany the entire series of the new work, bringing a lot of discussion… Ah!” Kobayashi Sora suddenly thought of a word, “stock speculation.”

"Hmm?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked in confusion.

"Simply put, it's about creating a long-running serialized work with no official outcome, where readers, based on their varying degrees of affection for each character, support different heroines who end up with the person at the center of the love triangle. Supporting a character is like holding a corresponding stock." Kobayashi Sora looked expectantly at Kasumigaoka Utaha. "As long as your character development skills are strong enough, even a simple interaction can make the corresponding character's fans feel the joy of a stock price surge. And the failure of each character will make the corresponding fans feel the sorrow of a stock price crash. Harvesting smiles in the early stages and tears in the later stages—if you wrote 'Love Metronome,' you could definitely do it easily."

"You really have a lot of faith in me." Kasumigaoka Utaha's red eyes sparkled, as if Kobayashi Sora had opened a door to a new world for her.

That's right, she was absolutely confident in creating such a school harem.

I lacked confidence before because I had never written a harem comedy before.

But when it came to the exits of each character, she was much more adept at it.

"It's alright. If you can't write it well, I'll find someone else to write it."

call!

Kasumigaoka Utaha threw her pillow at Kobayashi Sora.

Kobayashi Sora reached out and caught it, saying, "Don't throw the pillow around."

"Oh?" Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her arms over her chest. "Is it because it excites you?"

"It's because you grind your teeth, talk in your sleep, and drool in your sleep."

"Tsk." Kasumigaoka Utaha put her high heels back on and changed the subject. "Your suggestion is good, it sounds a bit like an editor's suggestion."

"Thank you for the compliment."

“Now, come with me to gather materials.” Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at Kobayashi Sora’s face and, as she wished, saw him frown.

This is the real reason why Kasumigaoka Utaha brought up her new work.

Kobayashi Sora wanted to go home, but she deliberately prevented him from doing so, intending to disrupt his plans and expose more of his weaknesses.

“Sure, but we need to plan the route beforehand.” Kobayashi Sora put her things into her bag. “Send me the material you want to gather, and I’ll check the map later to find suitable locations and routes. It’s already afternoon, let’s talk about it another day.”

"I'm going right now!"

“Okay.” Kobayashi Sora nodded. “You just said that the story of the new work takes place in Hehe City, which is an hour and a half away. With the time spent researching, we won’t be able to catch the last train back. Should I book the hotel that you and Ms. Machida used to stay at now?”

Utaha Kasumigaoka instinctively hugged the blanket to her chest. "You wish!"

“So that means a rejection.” Kobayashi Sora picked up her bag. “Ms. Kasumi Shiko, I had a very pleasant day. I look forward to the outline of your new work.”

Watching Kobayashi Sora unlock the door and leave, Kasumigaoka Utaha bit her lower lip.

Damn it... he's got me all wrapped around again.

Kobayashi Sora glanced at the time and took a car home.

What a troublesome woman... We could have finished talking about work quickly, but she always had to pull some tricks, and the worst part is, I couldn't outmaneuver her.

However, as long as Kasumigaoka Utaha can produce good works and contribute to him, Kobayashi Sora is not in a position to refuse.

After all, talented people often have a bit of a temper.

not to mention......

Kobayashi Sora opened the door and immediately heard a soft meow.

Rice cake squatted at the doorway, gently rubbing against Kobayashi Sora's trouser leg.

Moreover, not all unexpected events are bad.

Chapter 18: Winning Over Friends

After putting down her bag, Kobayashi Sora bent down, picked up Nian Gao, and hugged her tightly in her arms. "I feel like if you grow any bigger, I won't be able to carry you anymore."

"Meow~" Rice cake let out a weak meow, as if in protest.

Head tilted to the side—Ouch!

"Hiss—" Kobayashi Sora was bitten. Caught off guard, she let go of the cat, which landed on the ground and ran away.

A notification sound rang, and Kobayashi Sora picked up her phone. Kato Megumi had sent a message: "Is work finished?"

While checking her hands and finding no wounds, Kobayashi Sora replied to the message: "It's over, just got home."

I'll go check out the rice cakes later.

Have you had dinner yet? Let's have dinner together.

【Then I'll bring the ingredients over】

【it is good】

Kobayashi Sora put down her phone and turned around to see Nian Gao scratching the sofa.

The sharp claws tore the sofa fabric apart.

"..." Kobayashi Sora sighed.

He retracted his previous statement.

"So..." Kato Megumi said, holding the adorable mochi, "you got bitten by it?"

"It wasn't bitten through." Kobayashi Sora was handling the food. "The sofa is more seriously damaged."

"Cats have a short growth period between two and nine weeks of age, during which they learn various social skills. They will run up to their mother or siblings and scratch them with their paws. If the other person is hurt, they will hit back. After this series of behaviors, they will learn how scratching is playful, how scratching hurts, and how to control this behavior."

Kato Megumi placed the rice cakes on the sofa and reached out to them.

The golden eyes of the rice cake gleamed, and it grabbed Kato Megumi's hand with its paws and opened its mouth to bite.

"Stop!" Kato Megumi withdrew her finger and flicked the kitten on the head as the mochi pounced on her again.

The rice cake paused, stared blankly for a moment, and then opened its mouth again to bite Kato Megumi's hand.

"stop!"

Snapped!

I got another flick on the forehead.

"Meow?"