How to raise a random guy's wife

"Okay." The other party accepted the money, flashing a standard smile. "Thank you for your purchase."

The curve of her upturned lips and the number of teeth she showed were exactly the same as Iori Hashima's.

As for why they look so similar... it's because this angle allows for a bright smile while ensuring the face doesn't become overly distorted, thus maintaining a handsome appearance.

Kato Megumi asked, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Sagano Fumio?"

"That's right." Seeing that Kato Megumi seemed to want to chat a bit more, the other person immediately took off her hat. "It's me."

Are you familiar with RER?

"Of course, that's the pinnacle of doujin circles."

Kato Megumi winked at Kobayashi Sora, who immediately took out her business card.

“I am the secretary of the current representative of RER. I have a project that I would like to collaborate with Mr. Fumio Sagano.”

"Ah...it's a formal commercial commission." The other party, sweat beading on their forehead, scratched their face. "Um..."

Kato Megumi nodded. "This is definitely not the place to discuss cooperation. If you have any ideas about cooperation, you can have the real Sagano Fumio contact us later."

"You knew all that? No wonder you're RER." The other person nodded. "Then..."

Chapter 332: Mayu Xiangraku

Before he could finish speaking, a cute little girl ran over excitedly, "Great!"

The girl, with her short brown hair tied into two cute little buns on either side of her back and wearing an off-shoulder suspender dress, held up the notebook she had bought in front of the handsome guy. "Look! The last one, I bought it!"

“Congratulations, but there’s something more important right now.” The handsome man pointed to the girl. “This is my younger sister, Mayu Sagara, who is the person you want to work with.”

"Cooperation?" Mayu Sagara looked at Megumi Kato with a puzzled expression.

"Mayu, you have a business commission." The handsome guy patted his sister's head. "And it's the legendary RER."

"rougeenrouge?" Mayu Sagara slapped her brother Fumio Sagara's hand away, tilted her head and looked at Megumi Kato curiously. "Really?"

“Of course,” Kato Megumi smiled. “We’ll schedule another time after the sale ends…”

"No need, I've already bought everything." Mayu Sagara shook her head. "Since we've run into each other, let's find a place to chat now."

"That stall?"

"I can leave it to my brother; it's his responsibility anyway." Mayu Sagara picked up her bag. "Let's go."

In a nearby coffee shop, Mayu Sagara bit her straw, her cheeks puffing out. With a swallow, her face returned to normal. "Drawing anime characters for school idols? Forget it..."

Don't you like school idols?

Mayu Sagara looked disgusted. "I don't like people who are popular with others."

Kato Megumi understood; this person was an otaku.

Unlike Eriri, she is not a recluse and will speak her mind without reservation.

For otaku...

"Speaking of which, do you know 'Sakura Tree Game'?"

"You know about 'Sakuragi Game' too?" Mayu Sagara's attitude changed immediately. "I was just about to say that, but I felt it was impolite. Don't you feel like you look a lot like the protagonist in the game? Your outfit is a bit like Ruri, since you have long, straight black hair, but your temperament is more like Junri... It's like you stepped out of the game."

"That's not wrong... because I'm a member of Kasumi Eri's group, and also a model for the characters in the game."

"Really? Oh my god! I actually met one of the creators of 'The Promise of the Cherry Blossom Tree'!" Mayu Sagara's eyes widened in surprise. "I love 'The Promise of the Cherry Blossom Tree' so much! Especially the last few CGs, the scene of them looking at each other in the snow is amazing!"

Kato Megumi felt much relieved. She hadn't expected the target artist to like "The Cherry Tree Promise." However, this made subsequent communication much easier. "As you can see, the beauty of anime is built on the efforts of many creators in the real world. Our project has the same goal."

“I see…” Mayu Sagara calmed down. “That’s true… but I don’t have any thoughts on that.”

"Ok?"

"Well... I started drawing because I liked it, but when it comes to commercial activities, things change... I still prefer to draw what I like, sorry."

"But don't you like 'The Cherry Blossom Promise'?" Kato Megumi asked, puzzled. "Don't you want to participate in the production of related works?"

“Well, right now, I’m working on a doujinshi for ‘The Cherry Tree Promise,’ and if I had the chance to join, I would definitely like to.” Mayu Sagara paused for a moment, “But I’m the illustrator, so if I join, I’ll become the illustrator.”

"so?"

"That would be meaningless. What I like is the illustrations in 'The Cherry Blossom Promise.' As for the story and stuff... well, I won't say more."

“If you don’t want to cooperate, it’s fine to just say so,” Kato Megumi smiled. “It will even help our future game development.”

"To put it simply, the story is a bit boring. All that stuff about past life memories, past bonds, powerful enemies, and so on. Instead of spending time depicting those boring things, wouldn't it be better to add more subplots and cute, adorable girls? Rather than getting bogged down in those troubles, I'd much rather see the girls looking cute, like that sparkling look in the final CG—ah, sorry, I went a bit overboard." Mayu Sagara realized belatedly.

“So,” Kato Megumi understood, “you skipped the story and just looked at the illustrations?”

"Although it might upset you... I have no reason to seriously watch a story I don't like, right? I prefer to see the cute expressions of the female protagonists, which give me a lot of inspiration. Those thrilling moments are the best."

Ah, it's here.

Kobayashi Sora remained a silent observer throughout.

Mayu Sagara is clearly the kind of player who quickly skips the story and only watches the CGs.

This type of player is very common in adult games, but not so common in games aimed at all ages.

The question is, what will Kato Megumi do?

The other party's attitude clearly indicates that they have little interest in cooperation.

We finally found a common topic, but it turned out like this.

“I see,” Kato Megumi nodded gently. “I understand now.”

"That's right, so thank you for the invitation, but I really don't have any plans to develop in the commercial direction." The reason why Mayu Sagara left the stall and went to find a place to talk to Megumi Kato was that she wanted to put an end to this matter as soon as possible to avoid trouble later.

“Ah, you’ve misunderstood,” Kato Megumi waved her hand. “That’s not what I understand.”

"You haven't given up yet..." Mayu Sagara looked somewhat troubled.

Kato Megumi shook her head. "Actually, I've already given up."

"Then why did you say I misunderstood...?"

"Well, after hearing what you just said, I no longer want to collaborate with you." Kato Megumi said with a gentle smile. "When I looked at your work before, I felt like something was missing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. After hearing what you said, I finally understand what your work is lacking... Well, it would be more accurate to say that it's you who are lacking something."

"What did you say?"

"Hmm...you're not good enough—isn't that too hurtful to say?"

"So I'm asking you what you're saying!" Mayu Sagara stared at Megumi Kato. "Are you questioning my abilities?"

"That's not how it works."

"What kind of one is that?" Mayu Sagara calmed down a little.

"I've determined that your skill level isn't up to par, which is why I don't want to work with you."

"What!?" For a moment, Mayu Sagara thought she had really misunderstood.

“In my opinion, it’s not that you don’t have the idea of ​​developing in the business direction,” Kato Megumi said calmly, but what made people uneasy was, “that you just lack the ability to develop in the business direction.”

Chapter 333 Methodological Errors

"You're clearly not an artist, yet you dare to make such a presumptuous conclusion." Mayu Sagara originally wanted to leave, but she couldn't swallow her anger. "Wasn't it you who came to me for a collaboration? No matter how much you belittle me, in the end you're only belittling yourself!"

Oh, they've taken the bait.

Kobayashi Sora narrowed her eyes slightly.

Although she and Eriri are different, they are both illustrators of beautiful girls and share a similar dedication to their work.

The fact that Sagara Mayu didn't walk away when she was being belittled proves that she has a strong competitive spirit and wants to argue with Kato Megumi to get to the bottom of things.

Mayu Sagara had the upper hand from the start, while Megumi Kato was not an artist and had limited knowledge of the subject.

Her response was reasonable and well-founded, unlike Eriri who yelled and screamed, proving that she was very rational.

A rational opponent is not easy to deal with.

What should Kato Megumi do?

With her beautiful eyes half-closed, Kato Megumi tossed her long hair and smiled as she replied, "Coming to collaborate with you doesn't mean you're good enough. It's just that based on your past work, I'm judging that you have room for further development. Only after you improve will there be value in collaborating with you—have I made myself clear?"

“I understand, I understand perfectly.” Sagara Mayu leaned forward, her hands resting on the table. “I just draw what I like out of interest. I don’t want to improve, and I certainly don’t want to improve for you. Do you understand? The commercial value you value is worthless to me!”

Things appear larger when closer and smaller when farther away; closing the distance can increase deterrence, just like how a fried rice cake pretends to be fat.

Leaning forward to enhance persuasiveness suggests that she herself is aware that what she is saying is unreliable.

Is she going to rely on her aura to confront Kato Megumi? It's a bit like Eriri facing Kasumigaoka Utaha.

If someone says something in anger, you'll likely be overwhelmed by their momentum if you try to respond directly.

After all, it was Kato Megumi who approached the other party for cooperation, so the initiative was in the other party's hands.

Kobayashi Sora calmly analyzed the situation.

If it were him, now would be the time to present the facts and reason things out.

The more aggressive the other party is, the more obedient they will become after being suppressed.

“Hearing you say that makes me even more certain that my initial judgment was correct; you have the talent to improve further,” Kato Megumi explained earnestly. “After all, you created works with high commercial value simply out of interest, not commercial considerations.”

That's true...

Painting according to one's own preferences will most likely result in niche masterpieces.

The fact that Mayu Sagara can create works that are loved by many people according to her own preferences is enough to prove her talent.

Kobayashi Sora looked at Kato Megumi, whose expression remained calm.

This way of praising someone looks familiar.

“What a pity,” Mayu Sagara said smugly as she sat back down and turned to look out the window. “I have no interest in cooperating with you.”

See, this guy's getting arrogant.

“It’s truly a pity,” Kato Megumi agreed with the other person’s opinion. “Your taste greatly limits your talent.”

As expected... Kobayashi Sora confirmed her earlier guess.

This way of praising is exactly the same as how Kasumigaoka Utaha treats Eriri.