How to raise a random guy's wife

"I've done this kind of thing before. Don't let Qian's short stature fool you; if it really came down to a fight, I would be no match for her."

"Hmm?" Kasumigaoka Utaha looked up. "You two know each other?"

"Of course I know him."

"I mean, get to know each other?"

"During university, we were in the same manga club—and we even participated in a doujinshi convention together."

"I remember you went to Waseda University just like me." Kasumigaoka Utaha's attendance at Waseda University was already arranged, after all, she was a light novel author and ranked first in her grade.

"So she can be considered your senior. She had her own club back then, and she was just a passerby in our manga research group... In short, her drawing skills, drawing speed, and witty remarks were outstanding even back then."

"An upgraded version of Eriri with maxed-out social skills..." Kasumigaoka Utaha recalled Akane Kousaka's words and actions, "So that was her personality back then?"

“No, Akane was a typical top-tier female-oriented doujinshi writer back then.” Machida Sonoko looked reminiscing. “As a young lady from a wealthy family, she was a bit naive and not obsessed with money. She had a strong sense of camaraderie but not much ambition. She felt that she was satisfied as long as she could happily make doujinshi with like-minded friends.”

Are you sure you're talking to the same person?

"What else did you think?" As if she had expected Kasumigaoka Utaha to ask this, Machida Sonoko took a photo out of her pocket and handed it to Kasumigaoka Utaha. "I only kept one photo in my room."

The photo shows four cute girls, each posing in a way that imitates popular characters from female-oriented doujinshi at the time.

“Ms. Machida, you haven’t changed much.”

“You know perfectly well that’s not where you should be looking, that’s why you’re saying this,” Machida Sonoko said, pointing to the center of the photo.

The girl with long black hair wore a headband and tried her best to express herself with her friends, but her movements were still a little awkward.

Her appearance was almost identical to that of Akane Akasaka, whom I had just met, but her quiet and shy demeanor was not so much similar as to be completely unrelated.

This outfit...

Kasumigaoka Utaha returned the photo, saying, "I've finished looking at it."

“You noticed, didn’t you?” Machida Sonoko laughed. “Akane’s hairstyle back then is exactly the same as yours now!”

Chapter 311 A period of time

"Thank you, Megumi." Eriri wiped her nose, tears welling in her eyes. "I feel much better now..."

"I didn't do anything." Kato Megumi opened Kobayashi Sora's refrigerator, took out a bottle of black tea, and poured a cup for Eriri.

Speaking of which, Kobayashi Sora is dedicated to providing the best creative environment for creators.

I even learned how to make coffee by hand.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was very satisfied with this.

Kobayashi Sora also learned how to brew black tea.

Eriri said it doesn't taste as good as bottled black tea.

This fake Englishman...

"It's already very kind of you to stay with me for so long." Eriri took the black tea and took a big gulp to replenish her fluids. "That person was really awful!"

“Although we’ve never met, Sora has told me some things about her.” Kato Megumi sat down next to Eriri. “It’s normal for you to think that way.”

"Huh?" Eriri was taken aback. "You know a lot about her?"

"Well...Kong Qing sometimes talks to me about it."

"So why didn't he tell me?"

"Isn't it strange to talk about the Demon King's past before the hero faces him?"

“Ah, that kind of standard rubbish plot… no!” Eriri shook her head. “Then tell me now.”

"After the hero battles the Demon King, it's strange to talk about the Demon King's past..."

Eriri: "Huh?"

“Kongqing said that if I told you about her past, it would be easy to think, ‘Ah, so she’s been through all that,’ and you’d think she must be a good person,” Kato Megumi explained. “But whether you know about her past or not, her personality is terrible, and if you work with her, it would be a hundred times worse. If you have any unrealistic fantasies about her, it’s easy to make a decision you’ll regret.”

“Like a kind, stupid protagonist who goes easy on a villain with a tragic past… no.” Eriri shook her head. “I want to know about her past.”

"Hmm?" Kato Megumi tilted her head in confusion, her long, smooth hair falling down and swaying gracefully.

Kato Megumi seems to be getting more and more charming lately, even with just a simple gesture.

Eriri shook her head to clear her mind. "Speaking of which, don't you think Akane Kousaka and Utaha look a lot alike?"

"I haven't met her yet."

“Oh right... I mean, after calming down, I realized that she is similar to Kasumigaoka Utaha.”

"Where?"

"That part is annoying."

"Ah..." Kato Megumi asked, "But aren't you and your senior very close?"

“Shiha’s sharp tongue and cold face are also annoying, but they are all caused by her past experiences. Essentially, they are a form of self-protection caused by her social anxiety. Once you understand this, you won’t be intimidated by her powerful aggression.” Eriri calmly analyzed, “Now I need to use a similar approach to understand Akane Kousaka, get rid of the influence of my own emotions and the strong image she presents, break free from her control, and take control of my own pace.”

That's what they say, but you still got flustered by the senior's few words...

Although she thought this way, Kato Megumi didn't say it aloud.

Since Eriri wants to know...

"That's what Kong Qing told me..."

-

It's not a happy thing to resemble someone you dislike.

Kasumigaoka Utaha shoved the photo back, rather annoyed, and took a big gulp of her now-cold coffee.

“This was not long after she made her commercial debut.” Machida Sonoko put away the photo, her tone filled with nostalgia. “As far as I remember, Akane dropped out of university at the end of that year and officially became a professional.”

"So, does that mean she became a different person after becoming a professional?"

"That's right, of course, it took some time for it to become like that."

"A period of time?" Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow, it seemed the key point was within that "period of time".

"Her debut work sold a million copies immediately, and within six months, it was decided to adapt it into an anime."

"That's really impressive." Kasumigaoka Utaha, whose debut work sold 500,000 copies, truthfully expressed her thoughts.

“Too fast… She was too young back then.” Machida Sonoko lowered her eyelids slightly.

Akane Kousaka's debut work, "Cardinal Gotanda," was released in just six months, with only three volumes published. Yet, it still achieved the remarkable feat of Rokuseisha, a small publishing house, surpassing one million copies in sales for the first time since its founding. It was only natural that they decided to adapt it into an anime.

The unprecedented feat of adapting a story into an animated film caused a stir among publishers and authors. The magazines and official websites featuring the work were filled with jubilation, brimming with excitement and a sense of familiarity that brought a smile to one's face—even before the animation production began.

After teaming up with a small publishing house and a writer who had no connections in the animation industry and no powerful backers, they focused solely on making good animations and hoping to get everyone to watch them. They worked tirelessly within their capabilities, gathered their staff to brainstorm ideas, frequently visited the production site, and constantly shared their insights on the original work, such as settings, character designs, and plot, with the animation team.

Deeply moved by these insights, the animation team sought out these passionate members and gave them a lesson.

"On our side, to fill in the empty program slots, we just need to churn out a finished product within the extremely limited time available, even if it's bad."

"Being criticized by laymen who have no intention of helping us clean up the mess will only cause us trouble."

"Finally, if you guys had the ability to adapt animation, you wouldn't need us to do it."

"Please don't disrupt our normal work."

Akane Kousaka and her group had neither connections nor funds, and their work was only adapted into anime to fill the gaps in their programming, which destined it to become a bad anime from the start.

Despite almost entirely copying the plot from the original work, the script inexplicably ruined most of the important lines, completely lost the characteristics of the original work, and the character designs were extremely simplified to a crude degree. In addition, the production team was determined to fill a gap from the beginning and had no enthusiasm whatsoever.

Upon its release, the anime was dubbed "a piece of trash anime that even believers have abandoned."

For Akane Kousaka, the failure of the anime adaptation of her work also resulted in the loss of fans of the original work, those who had supported her from the very beginning.

"Tsk." Kasumigaoka Utaha gripped her coffee cup.

As a fellow light novel author, I felt a strong connection to the story and started to get angry.

“So,” Machida Sonoko forced a smile, “for the next five years, no matter how well the work sells, Akane will not agree to adapt the content into other forms.”

Chapter 312 No Dog Food

Animation?

Nonsense.

Akane Akasaka binds each of her works tightly with contracts. If a publisher tries to break her rules and expand to other media, she will immediately sell the work and its copyright to another publisher to continue creating, waiting for the right opportunity... that is, until she has accumulated enough funds and connections.

Kasumigaoka Utaha asked in disbelief, "Is... this really possible?"

“Sure,” Machida Sonoko replied matter-of-factly. “As long as your content is good enough, the publisher will agree to whatever contract you want.”

"..."

During this period, Akane Akasaka did more than just create art.

She searched far and wide for talented people, bringing them under her wing one by one.

She traveled to every corner of the industry, identifying capable companies. If she could cooperate, she would; if not, she would poach their talent.

Five years passed like this...

Akane Kousaka's previous works suddenly blossomed across various media.

All of her works that have expanded to different media are managed by her copyright management company.

She recruited the main members herself, and the joint ventures were carefully selected, specifically looking for those who could only contribute money and had no opinions.

For nearly a decade afterward, Akane Akasaka's multimedia business never failed.

“RER is just one of her many businesses, which together form the throne, and Akane Kousaka is the multimedia queen sitting on it.”

“I see…” Kasumigaoka Utaha swirled her coffee cup. “So, you want to emphasize that even someone like her has a difficult past?”

"It's alright~ About 90% of the original authors whose works are adapted into anime end up like that."

"As a light novel author, I don't want to hear about that ratio."

“But there’s only one Akane Kousaka,” Machida Sonoko pointed out. “Because her personality changes drastically over something that’s basically common knowledge in the industry, she’s actually quite fragile emotionally. But think about it the other way around, the fact that she could suppress her anger and climb all the way up to her current position because of that setback…it’s terrifying. Right now, she’s an incredible monster.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded. "I've only met her once, but I already understand this deeply."