How to raise a random guy's wife

"What if someone..."

"Well... then I'll help that person reminisce about the past." Kobayashi Sora smiled nonchalantly. "I haven't been back for a long time either, those people must miss it a lot."

No way... Aki Tomoya vaguely guessed what was going on.

"That's settled then," Kobayashi Sora concluded. "You promise Hyodo-kun first, and we'll move on to the next step after I've taken care of everything else."

"Um. That..." Aki Tomoya remembered what Hyodo Michiru had said yesterday.

"Most importantly... my band needs me, but does your club... need you?"

"A thick wall has already separated you from them. It's not the distance of a screen or an internet cable, but a much greater distance."

"You're all in the same club, so what are they doing, and what are you doing?"

Are you dispensable, or irreplaceable?

Kobayashi Sora heard his voice, "What's wrong?"

"Um..." Aki Tomoya hesitated for a moment, "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Yes, senior's manuscript should be finished around October," Kobayashi Sora replied. "I'll need you to review it then to see if there are any issues."

"no problem!"

"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now." Kobayashi Sora nodded her thanks to the waiter. "I still have some things to take care of."

"Okay." Aki Tomoya's curiosity was piqued. "What's up?"

"About the band."

After hanging up the phone, Kobayashi Sora smiled at the three girls in front of her, "Sorry for taking up so much time."

"What was that over there just now...?" Himekawa Tokino, the shortest of the group, asked curiously.

"If nothing unexpected happens, he will be your future manager," Kobayashi Sora explained, "who is also Hyoudou's cousin—Aki Tomoya."

With her short hair, Mizuhara Eichi stared at Kobayashi Sora, "Are you the current representative of RER?"

“That’s right,” Kobayashi Sora admitted. “It’s the one you worked with before.”

"She really is that young." Morioka Aiko, with her short twin ponytails, calmly exclaimed.

The band 【icytail】has four members.

Lead Vocalist: Michiru Hyodo

Guitarist: Himekawa Tokino

Bassist: Mizuhara Eichika

Drummer: Morioka Aiko

“I was a little surprised too.” Kobayashi Sora looked at them with a smile. “I thought one of the band members was an otaku, but it turns out all three of them are otaku—one of them is even my partner’s girlfriend.”

"No..." Mizuhara Eichi waved her hand, "He was just helping you buy things."

Among the people who went on a shopping spree at the previous doujinshi convention was Mizuhara Eichika's boyfriend.

“Everyone does what they’re good at and we’re partners who fight together.” Kobayashi Sora didn’t dwell on the topic too much and turned to Himekawa Tokino, “There’s also a regular at voice actor concerts. I’ve seen the video of you enthusiastically cheering, it was great.”

"It's...it's alright." Himekawa Tokino said a little embarrassedly.

"As for you..." Kobayashi Sora looked somewhat apologetic. "I'm sorry, I really haven't been able to find any relevant information."

“I’m just a homebody who rarely participates in activities,” Morioka Aiko shook her head. “You don’t need to feel sorry. On the contrary, it’s already quite frightening that you’ve gathered so much information.”

“Everyone has their own expertise.” Kobayashi Sora returned to the main point. “I didn’t hide it from you guys when I made the phone call just now, so my idea is very simple—would you be willing to cooperate with our club?”

Himekawa Tokino and Mizuhara Eichika exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked at the band leader, Morioka Aiko, who was the calmest and most taciturn of the three.

Chapter 209 Three Goals

“As you can see, our band is on the verge of collapse right now,” Morioka Ranko said, organizing her thoughts. “Even if we wanted to collaborate, we can’t agree to it right now.”

If you want to cooperate, help us resolve our current crisis first.

“That’s true, but as I just told Tomoya, the current problem is easy to solve.” Kobayashi Sora realized that Morioka Aiko was the backbone of the band, “so there’s no need to worry about the band disbanding.”

“That’s what they say…” Morioka Aiko pursed her lips.

Kobayashi Sora had a guess: "Is it because Hyodo-kun doesn't like otaku?"

“Yes,” Morioka Ranko honestly expressed her concerns. “With your help, the band was able to overcome this crisis. But in return, we need to cooperate with your gaming club. And Xiaomei doesn’t like otaku, so this difference of opinion could become a new crisis. You must have considered this when you came to us first, instead of talking to Xiaomei directly, right?”

Himekawa Tokino and Mizuhara Eichi nodded repeatedly from the side.

"That's how it is." Kobayashi Sora said with some emotion, "As expected of the captain, his thinking is very clear."

For the cooperation to go smoothly, it is necessary not only to resolve the current crisis, but also to consider future crises—this is the unspoken subtext of Morioka Aiko.

She phrased it tactfully, but her demands were clear.

Compared to some emotional people, such as women who change their minds frequently and have even more ideas after a few drinks, or women who are sharp-tongued and arrogant but can be vulnerable and helpless, or women who are self-important, humble, and hypocritical... Morioka Ranko is just the right match for Kobayashi Sora's temperament.

"Regarding this," Kobayashi Sora tapped his forehead, "I have considered it, but the plan is not yet ready."

Himekawa Tokino looked delighted. "Really?"

“Of course,” Kobayashi Sora nodded. “I hope you can tell me about your relationship so that I can further refine this plan.”

Himekawa Tokino and Mizuhara Eichika then looked at Morioka Aiko, and after she nodded, they began to talk about what had happened.

At that time, Himekawa Tokino was the guitarist, lead vocalist, and mascot of the band. The three girls, who shared a common interest in music and animation, would often get together after school to play and sing their favorite old anime songs, quietly enjoying a kind of fun that was not easily understood by their classmates.

Then one day...

"Hey, what was that song just now?" A cheerful girl burst in with delight.

It was Hyoudou Michiru.

Michiru Hyoudou, the former ace of the basketball club in her first year, the school's most popular player, and a symbol of a vibrant and fulfilling life.

"Huh? Well, this is a bit old, but we're playing the theme song from 'Clever Wizard'..."

[“Oh, I see.”] Michiru Hyodo had a look on her face that said, “I totally understand, but I don’t really understand at all.” [“So this piece of music is called ‘The Clever Mage.’”]

"Ah... no, no, that's the title of the work... the song title is called..."

"Works? Do you mean the album title?"

"......?"

Michiru Hyodo doesn't understand anime songs, but she knows she likes them. ["I've never heard them before, but the song is amazing!"]

The three of them understood completely that Michiru Hyodo was an ordinary person.

Himekawa Tokino: [“Eh, are we really going to let Hyodo join the group?”]

Mizuhara Eichika: [“That person definitely didn’t understand what piece we were playing~”]

Moriqiu Aiko: ["..."]

The three girls didn't know how to maintain a proper distance from Michiru Hyodo, so they concealed their interest and continued practicing as usual.

They bring their favorite anime or game songs to school, and as long as everyone likes them, they start practicing. Once they've mastered them, they'll find the next song.

During this period, Michiru Hyoudou never discovered the source of the music. She only became more and more fascinated by those pieces and was deeply influenced by them. Eventually, she even began to compose music herself.

Just like Kobayashi Sora had planned to intoxicate Coco and the others, after practicing a lot of anime songs, Hyodo Michiru was thoroughly intoxicated.

Without Michiru Hyoudo's knowledge, her talent as an otaku composer and performer was fully unleashed.

The melodies she creates are naturally filled with a charm that is enough to bewitch otaku.

“I see,” Kobayashi Sora said, refining her plan after listening to their explanation. “It’s much simpler than I thought, and it can be solved.”

Himekawa Tokino's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Don't worry, Shiki," Mizuhara Reika reminded him, "He's the president of RER, you know."

Morioka Ranko's expression didn't change much; she just looked at Kobayashi Sora, waiting for him to continue.

“I have a friend who is a recluse,” Kobayashi Sora used their similar experiences to build rapport. “I understand the hardship of hiding your struggles from those around you.”

Morioka Aiko blinked. "The friend you mentioned..."

“You’re a true friend,” Kobayashi Sora added. “What I mean is, I understand the hardship and I understand the desire to stay out of the public eye. So I want to know, is your goal to remain a regular underground band like before, or do you want to pursue your own musical interests like you three did at the beginning?”

"Uh..." Mizuhara Eichika asked curiously, "Is there a difference?"

"The former is simple, just continue to hide it. If it's the latter, it's best to be honest with Bingtang. The longer you keep hiding it, the greater the damage will be," Kobayashi Sora pointed out the key issue. "So, do you want to continue hiding it, or tell the truth?"

Himekawa Tokino and Mizuhara Eichika then looked at Morioka Aiko.

"If we want to continue making music, even if we can keep it a secret for a while, it will eventually be discovered." Morioka Ranko organized her thoughts. "Hiding it won't allow the band to continue, but if we don't hide it, the band might..."

“I’ve tried to be honest with her before,” Mizuhara Eichika chimed in, “but as soon as we talk about anime, Mimi gets upset—she really doesn’t like otaku.”

Himekawa Tokino's voice was filled with grievance, "I don't want the band to disband..."

"I want to be honest with Hyodo-san, and I want to continue being in the band with her." Kobayashi Sora held up two fingers. "Are these the only two goals?"

"It would be great if we could just finish it..." Mizuhara Eichi sighed. "What other goals could we possibly have?"

Himekawa Tokino raised her hand, "I also want to perform on stage with her at the anime song concert."

“Three.” Kobayashi Sora held up three fingers. “That’s exactly the ‘OK’ sign.”

Chapter 210 Success is Certain

“Expressions…” Eriri leaned closer to Kobayashi Sora, “Use [Meteorite - Smile 01].

"Okay." After finishing the communication with the band members, Kobayashi Sora returned home and continued the game's production with the club members.

After receiving guidance from the original artist, Kobayashi Sora entered 【巡璃·笑脸01】 into the script path.

“Hmm…” Kato Megumi beside her made a faint sound.

"What's wrong?" Kobayashi Sora tilted her head.

"It doesn't feel... quite right."

"Huh?" Eriri asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"