How to raise a random guy's wife

"So, whether you cooperate with her or fight against her... you either need great strength, or a strong mind, or even both, to have a chance of winning."

"I guess so......"

"Can you do it, Little Poem?"

"..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha silently held her coffee cup.

Is it possible?

After hearing about Akane's past experiences and learning about her current strength, she gained a clearer understanding of Akane.

The initial humiliation of being rejected has gradually faded.

But the desire to retaliate only grew stronger.

Kasumigaoka Utaha will not be defeated so easily.

Even if she were all alone, she would never run away in defeat.

This isn't a question of whether it's possible or not.

Kasumigaoka Utaha pictured the face of that blonde, silly girl crying in her mind.

What will she do if she runs away?

-

Eriri touched the mochi and concluded, "To put it bluntly, she's just an awkward girl who became extreme after suffering a setback."

"That makes sense."

“But I can understand how she feels,” Eriri muttered. “If it were me, I’d be furious too—but to keep striving to reach her level…”

Things change, and fortunes can shift dramatically. Never underestimate a young person's potential.

It sounds good to say that, but to actually put in the effort... it takes a lot of sacrifice.

"It's really difficult."

"What do you think?" Eriri stared at Kato Megumi. "Megumi, what do you think I should choose?"

"Well..." Kato Megumi thought for a moment, "How do you think I should get along with Sora Ao?"

"Why are you asking me something like this?"

“I think the same way,” Kato Megumi said earnestly, looking at Eriri. “Just like you don’t know how I should get along with Sora, I don’t know about your relationship with creation.”

Seeing Eriri deep in thought, Megumi Kato added further.

"Ultimately, it's your own choice. Do you want to treat painting as a hobby and continue leisurely, or do you want to go further and strive to improve yourself? Do you want to work hard alongside Akane Kousaka, or do you choose your own direction and work at a pace that suits you...? These are all questions," Megumi Kato pointed out. "Moreover, only you know the answers, and only you can be responsible for the outcome."

This is also why Kato Megumi did not offer any advice.

When we were making games before, Megumi Kato often came up with some great ideas.

Because the game was a creation of the club, and Kato Megumi was a member of the club.

Regardless of the outcome, as a member of the club, this result is closely related to her.

But life is different.

If she gave advice today, Eriri would have taken it.

So, when Eriri regrets her choices in the future and breaks down because of them, what can Megumi Kato do to help?

That was Eriri's own life.

"But..." Eriri bit her lower lip lightly, "I don't know what to do..."

I disagree with that.

"what?"

"You dared to innovate when the game was nearing completion, persisted in creating despite serious illness, never compromised when you were not satisfied with the work, calmly analyzed when facing people you disliked, and weighed the pros and cons when faced with the temptation of a masterpiece..." Kato Megumi said in detail, "When I first saw your work at Sora's house, I felt that you were amazing. After knowing you for so long, I should have gotten used to your creative ability, but you have repeatedly broken my perception of you."

"benefit......"

Kato Megumi smiled and concluded, "You've made the right decisions many times before, and this time will be no exception."

"But..." Eriri was still a little uneasy, "What if we make a mistake this time?"

"You've made many correct decisions, it's normal to make a mistake once."

“That seems to make sense…” Eriri nodded. No one’s life is always smooth sailing.

"Oh, and me too. You made my weak character more vivid." Kato Megumi blushed slightly. "Every time I use the knowledge you taught me, Sora Ao..."

Eriri interrupted Kato Megumi, saying, "I don't need to know that."

That's not fair. When you're trying to comfort someone, you should comfort them properly. Why are you mixing in dog food (a Chinese slang term for being overly affectionate)?

Chapter 313 Which one?

In March, the school grounds are always exceptionally lively at this time of year.

Because the graduation ceremony of Toyonosaki Academy is on this day.

Boys laughing and talking together; girls hugging and crying; shy and flustered boys and girls; a small group excitedly taking commemorative photos...

Everyone was holding a long, thin graduation certificate, and many had their parents with them.

This scene happens every year, and neither Kobayashi Sora nor Kato Megumi feel anything special about it.

This year is different.

Because Kasumigaoka Utaha graduated.

The two held hands and walked through the crowd, quickly finding the solitary legend amidst the hustle and bustle.

She wasn't particularly lonely; a female classmate came over and struck up a conversation with Kasumigaoka Utaha, saying, "We're having a teacher appreciation banquet in the classroom later..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha returned a cold gaze, "I understand."

"Then wait a moment..."

"go home."

"Ah... um... sorry to bother you."

"Senior," Kato Megumi greeted Kasumigaoka Utaha, "Congratulations on your graduation."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression softened a bit. "It's alright, there's nothing particularly worth congratulating."

Kobayashi Sora looked at the departing female classmate and asked, "Aren't you going to the teacher appreciation banquet?"

“I had absolutely no reason to attend.” Kasumigaoka Utaha fiddled with her graduation certificate. “Anyway, I didn’t have any feelings for my classmates at all.”

She was an outstanding student who consistently ranked first in her class from the beginning of her enrollment until graduation. Her appearance and academic performance were impeccable. In a society that advocates a relaxed education, after several boys pursued her unsuccessfully, she was subjected to unwarranted targeting and baseless slander.

Rather than saying that Kasumigaoka Utaha's personality is annoying, it's more accurate to say that being disliked passively turned her into this personality in order to prevent her being disliked from escalating into a worse situation of being bullied.

Having been forced into solitude for three years, she is now being invited to some kind of teacher appreciation banquet, where she will listen to those who once spoke ill of her, casually apologizing for their past ignorance while shamelessly asking for her contact information... What a load of rubbish.

“Speaking of which,” Kasumigaoka Utaha scrutinized Kobayashi Sora, “I haven’t seen you lately.”

"Well... because of some things we did before, a bunch of people in RER are busy right now... um, how should I put it, purging the court of corrupt officials?"

The gist of it is that Kobayashi Sora, relying on her position as president, created conflicts within the company, poached a large number of talented individuals, and seriously affected the work of the relevant production teams. Therefore, a group of people united to demand that Akane Kousaka remove Kobayashi Sora from her position.

"So lately we've been busy winning over some groups, targeting others, and uniting others," Kobayashi Sora summarized. "This time we went a little too far, so we can only delay things for now."

"Speaking of which, isn't Akane Kousaka quite good at poaching talent? Would she really fire you for something like this?"

“Even if I don’t get expelled, it will still cause some trouble, since I need to keep the public in line.” Kobayashi Sora paused. “Besides, what I did was a bit excessive.”

"Too much?"

"In a production team, besides the main team leader, there is also a person in charge of the work, who is basically the team leader's confidant, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is a retainer."

"You didn't poach the person in charge, did you?"

"No, not at all," Kobayashi Sora replied. "The person in charge is very loyal to the team leader."

Kasumigaoka Utaha asked curiously, "Besides the person in charge and the team leader, it wouldn't be a big deal if a few other people were poached, right?"

“That’s what I thought too.” Kobayashi Sora nodded. “That’s why we kept the team leader and the person in charge.”

"What the rest means is..." Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced speechlessly at Kobayashi Sora, not continuing the topic, "What about Eriri?"

"Didn't she contact you?" Kato Megumi asked in return.

"Not recently."

“They didn’t contact us either,” Kato Megumi recalled. “I occasionally saw them at school, but they always seemed to be in a hurry.”

“She…” Kasumigaoka Utaha was a little worried. Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate. She took out her phone to check the message and breathed a sigh of relief. “There’s news.”

The three of them went to the art room together. At the back of the classroom, by the window, was the second art preparation room.

Generally speaking, the preparation room is where teachers prepare their teaching materials.

However, the teacher uses the first art preparation room. The second preparation room was originally used as the art club's office, but after Eriri joined the club, it became her private room.

That place is also Eri Kashiwagi's secret base.

Upon entering, I immediately saw Eriri sitting in a chair.

"You...you're here." Eriri stood up somewhat flusteredly. "Um...how should I say this..."

“You’re the one who told us to come,” Kasumigaoka Utaha said, arms crossed. “Why are you acting like you’re about to say something like, ‘I didn’t come for my period,’ and you’re all hesitating?”

"My period has started!"

“Oh, congratulations.” Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded. “Then there’s no need to worry.”

"Which one are you talking about?!"

"I'd like to ask which one you're referring to."

"Excuse me," Kobayashi Sora raised her hand. "There's another one here that doesn't have that feature."

Kato Megumi pinched Kobayashi Sora, looked at Eriri, and vaguely guessed, "Could it be inspiration? You can draw it now?"

"......like."