How to raise a random guy's wife

"Buying lottery tickets or something."

"Well, even if you know the winning numbers, you won't win if you buy a ticket, so don't worry."

"Eh?"

"Furthermore, this is not a cycle of reincarnation; more accurately, it is a kind of rehearsal."

The plot is simple: the male protagonist finds himself trapped in the same day, so he tries to find the junior who caused it all and make time move forward.

"Is that the demon Laplace?"

Kobayashi Sora sighed, "This is the basic setting for Volume Two, don't be so vague."

"So I'm trying to figure it out now."

By asking me?

Kobayashi Sora ate a spoonful of ice cream. "Simply put, this is from the era of classical physics, before quantum mechanics came into being."

"Oh." Kasumigaoka Utaha automatically ignored the parts she might not understand.

Kobayashi Sora went straight to the point, "Just like the spoon in my hand, knowing its weight and speed, my strength and air resistance, I can calculate how far the spoon will fly when it is thrown. That is the basic prediction."

"Isn't this physics?"

"That's the idea," Kobayashi Sora expanded. "Then, if we know the position and momentum of all the atoms in this world, we can predict the future."

Eriri enjoys the fruits of her hard work and happily eats her ice cream.

Kato Megumi spoke up, "That's true, but it's probably not that simple, is it? Calculating all the atoms and all that."

“That’s right, so the physicist Laplace proposed a fictional being capable of such an amazing feat—Laplace’s Demon,” Kobayashi Sora added. “This demon can instantly grasp the position and momentum of every atom in the world and use these numbers to calculate the future in an instant. In other words, Laplace’s Demon can see through all the future.”

“So,” Kasumigaoka Utaha realized the crux of the problem, “everything is predetermined?”

“No wonder you looked so disbelieving; so that’s what you were thinking about,” Kobayashi Sora replied. “According to Laplace’s theory of the devil, that’s indeed the case.”

"Even feelings?"

"Humans are also made of atoms."

“Then there’s only one future, right?” Kasumigaoka Utaha clicked her tongue. “Even my current idea was fixed a long time ago.”

Kobayashi Sora sighed, "That's why I said from the beginning that this was before quantum mechanics came into being... in the era of classical physics."

"Hmm..." Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression turned to one of reminiscence. "Hmm?"

“I did say that,” Kato Megumi confirmed to Kobayashi Sora.

"Alright," Kasumigaoka Utaha pressed, "So?"

“In the world of quantum mechanics, the position of a particle exists only in the form of probability, and the only way to determine the position is through observation,” Kobayashi Sora explained. “To know, you have to observe, and the observation itself will affect the result—because the future cannot be observed, it cannot be predicted. Laplace’s demon has been destroyed by quantum mechanics.”

"Oh...I see." Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded. "Could you put together a copy for me later?"

"Why don't you try looking it up yourself?"

"Sure, it won't slow down the game's storyline anyway."

"I'll organize it and send it to you."

"Good boy/girl~"

"So..." Kato Megumi asked curiously, "What kind of story is this time?"

“Simply put,” Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled smugly, “the story is about a male protagonist who helps his junior in order to keep time moving forward. In the process, the junior falls in love with the male protagonist and imprisons the two of them in one day, repeating the process repeatedly, trying to make the male protagonist fall in love with her. In the end, because of his love for his senior, the male protagonist gently rejects the junior, resolves the junior's inner conflict, and allows time to continue moving forward.”

"Huh?" Eriri heard the whole story for the first time. "What a narcissistic story."

"I was referring to a character from the book," Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled. "What, Sawamura, are you projecting your own experiences onto reality?"

Chapter 168 I Hate You

Rake upside down.

Eriri's eyes were fierce.

It was clearly this fat woman in black stockings who wanted to influence reality with the stories in the book, and now she's accusing her of overthinking things.

"Kasumigaoka Utaha..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha interrupted Eriri's charge-up, "If you have time to call people by their full names, wouldn't it be better to finish the rest of the plot as soon as possible?"

To be honest, that's true.

"So, this is the final scene." Kasumigaoka Utaha explained the plot, "The junior pretends to be unaware, repeating the last day of their fake relationship over and over again, hoping the senior will change his mind. After the senior discovers the truth, he accompanies the junior through several repetitions, and finally chooses to confess—begin!"

At the seaside, the setting sun painted the waves red.

Kobayashi Sora adjusted her mood and tried to align her thoughts with the protagonist in the book: "No matter how many times you repeat it, a person's heart will not change; the false will not become the true, and the true will not become the false."

Even though it was acting, Kobayashi Sora could feel the inner turmoil and resoluteness in the male lead's heart when he said those words.

Yes, those words are hurtful.

But compared to rejection, the endless tug-of-war is the real torment.

The more ambiguous something is, the more it needs to be clarified.

The less likely something is to be encountered, the more it needs to be explained clearly.

Eriri dutifully portrayed her character, her hands clasped together in front of her, the sea breeze ruffling her shimmering blonde hair. "...Even if I have to repeat it a hundred times?"

"Ah."

"...even if it's repeated a thousand times."

"Correct."

Even if it's repeated ten thousand times?

“It won’t change even if I repeat it a billion times.” Kobayashi Sora said the line with some difficulty, “I like Mai-san.”

"..."

"You are the same; even if you repeat the same things, your intentions will always remain the same."

Kasumigaoka Utaha gestured for them to continue.

Eriri held the printed manuscript in her hand. The lines at the end were a bit long, and she couldn't remember them all at once. "Senpai, you're lying... Feelings can change. No matter how many times it's repeated, it will accumulate... It just keeps accumulating... I decided to forget... but I can't forget. I clearly felt that I must forget this time... but I can't do it—I clearly decided to say goodbye to this feeling!"

Eriri's voice trembled slightly.

She felt a power.

A power that she couldn't control, bursting forth from the words on the paper.

It's a power that...sees through all human pretenses.

That's right.

No matter how many times I imagine our future together, his feelings will never change.

However... in this repetitive process, one's own feelings continue to accumulate.

Little by little... little by little... little by little, it took up all the space.

"Today, I'm going to have a happy last date with my senior... I have to end this fake relationship with a smile. My senior, who broke up with me, will have a smooth relationship with Sakurajima-senpai. In the second semester, I'll say 'That's great,' and playfully tease my senior a little." Eriri read the lines on the paper, her eyes falling on the lines below.

But... I'm just not willing to give up. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, I want to grasp that future...

wrong.

not like this.

Eriri bit her lower lip lightly, closed her azure eyes, and then slowly opened them again.

"That's all I want... I don't particularly want anything, I won't be willful, and I won't cause trouble for anyone." Eriri changed Kasumi Utako's lines. "But... but why didn't he come tomorrow? I decided to end these feelings, so why are they even stronger this morning than yesterday? This is too much... I decided to pretend it never happened... I've already decided that!"

That's right.

The junior student didn't want it to be like this.

The junior didn't want to repeat this day and get her beloved senior into trouble.

She didn't want to, but she couldn't control herself.

Kobayashi Sora realized the change in the lines and responded somewhat slowly, "You...you don't have to do that."

Such hesitation was not a good idea, but Kasumigaoka Utaha did not intend to interrupt the performance.

"I must!" Eriri wanted to take a step forward, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Doesn't Senpai like Sakurajima-senpai? Won't I cause trouble? Friends don't have these kinds of feelings; it's an emotion that friends don't need!"

“That’s not true,” Kobayashi Sora retorted. “When did I say you were causing me trouble?”

“Saying such things now…” Eriri’s eyes flashed. “Senpai is being too shameless.”

Kobayashi Sora gradually caught up with the conversation, "You're only realizing it now?"

"I hate it..." Eriri complained, "I hate senpai! I hate him so much! It's all senpai's fault!"

"You're right, so you don't need to care about me."

Eriri bit her lower lip lightly, "I hate this version of myself too, I hate it so much... This isn't me!"

“No, this is you.” The dialogue finally returned to normal, and Kobayashi Sora answered fluently.

"No! This isn't me! I'm hoping summer vacation will come soon, and that I can become friends with my senior and have fun together! That's all I want!"

Stop lying to yourself.

"..."

"You don't have to endure it anymore."

"Senpai is an idiot! An idiot! I hate you! I hate you so much! But..." Kobayashi Sora's face gradually blurred in Eriri's eyes, transforming into something else, "But..."

"Alright." A warm embrace enveloped Eriri, and her ethereal voice gradually calmed her down. Kato Megumi softly comforted her, "Eriri is wonderful."

Eriri let out a soft inhale, her tense body gradually relaxing.

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at the script in her hand. The next part was her junior's "I like you," but she had already done enough.

There are still some details that need to be revised, especially Eriri's performance, which was excellent.

“I underestimated you, Eriri.” Kasumigaoka Utaha looked up. “Your performance was better than my story.”