How to raise a random guy's wife

Eriri continued to accelerate her movements, blurring the image; she needed to get through before it became completely blurry.

"Eriri!" Kato Megumi, disregarding her stillness, stood up and went to Eriri's side, grabbing her hand.

"I'm almost done drawing..." Eriri struggled gently.

Then the pen fell from his hand.

In the blurred vision, on the tattered drawing paper, there were messy lines.

“What…” Eriri murmured.

His voice trembled.

"This isn't... anything's even finished yet..."

She threw herself into Kato Megumi's arms.

It soaked Kato Megumi's chest.

Kato Megumi wanted to say something, but she couldn't say anything.

All I could do was hold her.

That's it.

"Megumi..." After a long silence, Eriri finally spoke, "I...I want to be alone for a while. Thank you for coming, but...I want to be alone..."

"But......"

"Please," Eriri looked up, her expression pitiful. "I'll get better."

Chapter 184 Where are the two trees?

"So," Leonard said, revealing the reason he called Kobayashi Sora, "I was thinking, would you like to come to the doujinshi convention tomorrow?"

“I want to go, but I can’t,” Kobayashi Sora explained. “After all, I’m the president of RER now. It’s fine if I don’t go to my own booth, but it would be bad if I showed up at the neighboring booth.”

“I forgot about it…” Leonard slapped his forehead. “Never mind, forget I said anything.”

"Speaking of which," Sawamura Sayuri's eyes flickered, "how was the doujinshi convention today?"

"It was very lively, and I collected a lot of good things."

“I see,” Sawamura Sayuri smiled faintly. “Eri doesn’t seem to have brought back much. She didn’t bring back the uncle and niece I asked her to help bring back.”

Are you sure this is something your daughter should bring?

"I know some friends, I'll ask them later and see if they're interested in transferring ownership."

"Then I'll have to trouble you~" Sawamura Sayuri said with a smile, "You have to tell your older sister how much it cost, okay?"

"Ok."

“Speaking of which…” Sawamura Sayuri seemed to just remember, “Eriri should have rested enough too.”

Kobayashi Sora lowered her eyelids slightly, and then saw Kato Megumi walking back. She gently shook her head.

"Let's skip it for today," Kobayashi Sora smiled. "I still have some things to take care of. I'll come back another day. There are also some details about the manga that I need to discuss with Eriri."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Kobayashi Sora and Eriri said goodbye and left the Sawamura family villa.

Leonard looked at his wife and said, "It feels... different from what we expected."

Each child has their own place; you should love your own child.

Even if Eriri doesn't say anything, the Sawamura couple can tell just by looking at her, based on their understanding of her.

My child has been wronged.

If it's just a minor grievance, the little girl will fly into a rage.

But such quietness clearly indicates an emotional issue.

While it might not warrant a formal reprimand, it's perfectly acceptable to ask around and find out what's going on.

So Leonard found an excuse to send a message to Kobayashi Sora.

After all, he had been here before, and familiarity breeds familiarity.

In his mind, after a brief conversation, Sayuri Sawamura would get straight to the point and ask about Eriri's situation, or perhaps she would try to find out indirectly.

But......

“It’s not what you think,” Sawamura Sayuri corrected.

"Huh?" Leonard looked bewildered.

“Eri has many friends, but they are all superficial friends. Very few know her true nature, even fewer can make her feel wronged, and even fewer can make her sad.” Sayuri Sawamura lay sprawled on the sofa with her legs draped over Leonard’s thighs. “She gets annoyed by same-sex relationships, but she only feels wronged by relationships with opposite-sex individuals.”

Leonard murmured, "That seems to make sense."

“The scope is so small that it can be basically determined to be within two people.” Sayuri Sawamura slowly and methodically unraveled the mystery. “Just invite one person, and we’ll know where the problem lies.”

"What about Xiao Lin...?"

"He appeared calm and composed. Although he was somewhat worried, he had a clear conscience, and it was obvious that the problem did not lie with him."

Leonard realized, "That is..."

"I told you childhood sweethearts aren't reliable~" Sayuri Sawamura twirled a strand of hair with her finger, staring at Leonard with a half-smile.

“I think the same thing,” Leonard said sternly. “Really.”

Sawamura Sayuri took it seriously.

Leonard had figured things out. As Sayuri Sawamura had said, there was no need to ask specifically. With just a little analysis, the answer would naturally come to light.

The problem is...

"Eri's sadness only proves how important that feeling is to her, doesn't it?"

“That makes sense,” Sayuri Sawamura raised an eyebrow. “Try crying and let me see.”

"what?"

"Isn't that feeling important?"

"No... how did this get back to me?"

Sayuri Sawamura responded casually, "Daughters take after their fathers. Her strong attachment to childhood friends must be a result of her father's genes, right?"

"No, I didn't, don't talk nonsense..." Leonard protested weakly.

“Daughters take after their fathers. If a father can't let go, his daughter can't let go either; if a father can let go, his daughter can too.” Sawamura Sayuri’s lips curled up. “Dad, do you think our daughter can let go?”

"Yes," Leonard nodded. "Definitely!"

He repeatedly emphasized, "If you say you'll let go, you'll let go. You can let go as far away as you can, without even glancing at it."

Sawamura Sayuri gave a soft snort and did not pursue the matter further.

“But,” Leonard asked a new question, “my brother brought a female classmate with him.”

He could understand his wife's desire to match their daughter with his younger brother, and their daughter with her uncle... wait, things are getting a bit messy.

Yinglili and Kobayashi Kongqing.

But Kobayashi Sora already has a female classmate.

What did it look like again?

Sayuri Sawamura nodded. "That's exactly what I admire about him."

"Huh?" Leonard exclaimed in surprise, "You enjoy having a harem?"

You seem very happy~?

Leonard explained, "It was a surprise."

“He’s smart,” Sayuri Sawamura corrected. “Judging from his expression, he obviously knows what happened, so he specifically asked a female classmate to check on Eriri’s condition. If they can communicate, they will; if not, they will think of another way.”

"Can't he do it himself?"

"He comes over by himself, exchanges a few pleasantries, then goes to find Eriri, only to be kicked out and leave empty-handed?" Sayuri Sawamura narrowed her eyes slightly. "It would be better to find a female classmate to help him, to try and communicate with her, to sound out her intentions. If Eriri is in a good mood, he can go in and communicate further; if she's not, he can leave gracefully without making the situation awkward."

"Is that so?"

Sawamura Sayuri found Kobayashi Sora more and more agreeable. "Clearly, this kid is here to solve the problem, not to escalate the conflict. Well... whether it's the former or the latter, it's better than doing nothing."

“That’s true.” Leonard looked towards the studio. It was only because their house was big enough that the two of them could openly plot so loudly without any worries.

I feel like I've overlooked something... Oh right.

“Mom,” Leonard hesitated, carefully choosing his words, “what if…they don’t end up together either?”

"A person can get hurt if they put their hopes on just one tree," Sawamura Sayuri asked. "What about two trees?"

"Hmm... a hammock?"

“That’s one way to look at it.” Sawamura Sayuri was speechless for a moment because of her husband’s thought process. “No matter what the outcome is, for Eriri right now, it’s a good thing that she has discovered that there is another man in the world.”

Chapter 185 Volunteering

"Want to be alone for a while?" At home, Kobayashi Sora unconsciously ground coffee beans. "I wish I could calm down."

"Hmm?" Kato Megumi asked, holding the rice cakes.

"People always act impulsively. Calming down and thinking things through helps with subsequent decisions." Kobayashi Sora folded the filter paper. "But when you're alone, you might not be thinking calmly."

"Hmm... Getting stuck on a nitpicky point?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Kobayashi Sora spread out the coffee grounds.

"Then..." Kato Megumi tilted her head, "Is it more likely that Eriri will take extreme measures, or that she will calm down?"

"It's hard to say, we can only draw conclusions based on past events." Kobayashi Sora slowly poured water, watching the hot water gradually soak the coffee grounds. "Eri and Tomoya used to be like-minded people, but they parted ways because of bullying by classmates, and it took them seven years to start communicating normally again..."

“If she could figure it out herself,” Kato Megumi realized the problem, “this day would never have come.”

She hasn't figured it out in seven years, so expecting her to figure it out in a few days is basically wishful thinking.

“So the possibility of going to extremes is higher.” Kobayashi Sora handed the coffee to Kato Megumi.

"Is there anything I can do to help her?" Kato Megumi asked, holding her coffee cup and looking at Kobayashi Sora with hope.