How to raise a random guy's wife

Not to mention offering suggestions.

But I felt bad about doing nothing, so I tried my best.

Then there's Arashi Chisato. She was very satisfied with the script, but wanted to add some interactive scenes with Shibuya Kanon. She told Kato Megumi a lot of interesting stories about the two of them.

Kato Megumi wrote everything down and gave it to Kobayashi Sora to fill in the outline, which was then refined by Sakura-sensei.

Next up was Shibuya Kanon, who said she wasn't as gentle and brave as described in the script, and felt a little embarrassed.

But encouraged by Kato Megumi's reasoned arguments and facts, she eventually accepted it shyly.

It was Kato Megumi's encouragement that prompted her to reveal why she had called so late.

"Hmm... I feel like something's not quite right, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It just feels like there's something off." Shibuya Kanon's voice was hesitant. "If I had found the problem, I would have contacted you already. But I haven't been able to find it, so I've been wondering whether I should even say anything..."

Shibuya Kanon's hesitation was not without reason.

The description of "something feels off" is too vague and can easily give the impression that the person is deliberately nitpicking.

Shibuya Kanon is very thoughtful; she probably wouldn't have said it if it weren't for Kato Megumi's encouragement.

"So..." Kato Megumi read the script many more times, "Where is the problem?"

"Could it be because of the main character?" Kobayashi Sora thought of a possibility. "After all, they have always acted on their own. With the addition of the non-existent protagonist as an ally, there would naturally be a sense of incongruity."

“Speaking of assistance,” Kato Megumi tilted her head, “I remember you were quite helpful, weren’t you?”

“My help is optional; they can continue even without my help,” Kobayashi Sora explained the difference. “But in the script, the protagonist’s help is crucial.”

“That makes sense,” Kato Megumi nodded. “The protagonist is key to player immersion; if their presence is too weak, it will greatly affect the gameplay experience.”

“Hmm…” Kobayashi Sora pondered, “It is indeed a problem, but it’s also possible that they have little experience with games before, so they feel a little uncomfortable.”

"Let's see what Sumire thinks before making a decision," Kato Megumi decided to wait.

She just didn't expect that this wait would last for several days.

What was even more unexpected was that Heian Meijin didn't call, but instead arranged a time to come to Kobayashi Sora's house to explain to Kato Megumi in person, and right away she rejected the script.

“I don’t think this script is good,” Ping An Mingjin stated bluntly.

"That's great." Kato Megumi, who was struggling to find the problem, handed the drink to Heian Nami. "What exactly is the problem?"

"Uh...is your reaction a little off?" Heian Nasu knew that Kato Megumi had a good temper, but she didn't expect it to be this good.

“It’s more terrifying not to find a problem than to find one,” Kato Megumi chuckled. “You rejected the plan outright, which means you’ve discovered a serious problem; the fact that you took so long to call means you’ve been thinking about it for a long time; your voice wasn’t urgent and there was no worry in your tone, which means you have a solution, or at least a plan—that’s why I’m in this position.”

"..." Ping An Mingyan had only felt that Kato Megumi had a good temper before.

Now, Heian Nasu is a little scared.

Before I could even say anything, Kato Megumi had already analyzed so much.

And they are all correct.

Rice cake gave Kobayashi Sora a disdainful look.

This guy is currently wearing a "My wife is amazing" expression.

He was quite smug.

"So...where is the problem?"

"Ah... um, I see." Heian Nasu came to her senses. "The problem lies with Coco."

"Mm," Kato Megumi responded, indicating that she was listening.

"Coco... is someone you can't like."

Kobayashi Sora was taken aback. He had always thought that An Ping Mingjin and Tang Keke had a good relationship and that she would not say such a thing.

And judging from her expression, she wasn't joking.

Then it's not that Tang Keke is unlikable.

Instead...

Kato Megumi thought for a moment, "Is it because the character of Coco in the script is not likable?"

“That’s right!” Ping An Ming Jin nodded vigorously. “I watched it many times. At first, I just felt that something was not quite right, so I only watched the individual stories. When I got to Coco’s part, I realized the problem.”

Could you elaborate?

“Some of the things Coco did have been transferred to the main character.” Ping An Mingjin flipped open the script, pointing to her own annotations, “Here, here, and this…”

Kato Megumi looked at them one by one and quickly realized that Heian Naoki was right.

To highlight the protagonist's role, some tasks that should have been done by the star cluster members themselves were assigned to the protagonist.

Since the lead actor couldn't offer any assistance in acting or professional skills, he mostly did behind-the-scenes work.

This is the part that Tang Keke has been in charge of in reality.

Chapter 373 We Can't Do It

“No wonder Coco called first.” Kato Megumi finally understood why Tang Coco was so satisfied and not embarrassed at all.

Because Tang Keke identified with the protagonist.

Most of the things the main character does in the script are things that Tang Keke has done.

The immersion is so strong.

For Tang Keke, this script was practically written with her as the protagonist.

That's why she didn't notice the issues with how she portrayed her own character in the script.

“Although Coco’s abilities in various aspects are not the strongest, her enthusiasm is the starting point and driving force of the entire school idol activities.” Heian Naoki explained earnestly, “And her enthusiasm is reflected in her actions: the decoration of the venue, the costumes for the performance, the selection of activities, the production of props, glow sticks, banners, slogans... She infects everyone with her enthusiasm, supports everyone with her actions, and does many things that others cannot do, doing her best within her capabilities.”

Ping An Mingjin paused for a moment, "Take away everything she does... and she becomes a character who only has passion and knows how to shout slogans."

Shibuya Kanon sings beautifully, Arashi Chisato is a dance champion, Hazuki Koi is good at figure skating and playing the piano, and Heian Naoyu has accumulated rich stage experience since childhood.

To be fair, Tang Keke doesn't really have any outstanding talents in acting.

However, as Heian Mingjin said, Tang Keke's enthusiasm and the action that comes from that enthusiasm are indispensable to the star cluster.

Moreover, her performance ability is only slightly weaker compared to the other members, but her overall level is still there.

Then there's the other side—the protagonist.

There's an interesting phenomenon about the protagonists in visual novels: most of them have their eyes covered by their hair.

This is mainly done to blur the character's appearance by covering their eyes, thereby increasing the player's sense of immersion.

This method is a clever trick.

If the character is well-developed, there is no need to use this method.

Even when the script isn't top-notch, blurring character traits to enhance immersion can significantly improve the player's experience.

In other words, the goal is to make players feel as much as possible that they are the protagonist.

Similar to Tang Keke's state when playing games.

Judging from her feedback, this method is very effective.

To simplify, blurring a character's traits means making that character as blank as possible.

There are no obvious advantages or disadvantages, and no specific strengths or preferences.

Setting the protagonist as someone who can play the piano, while the player cannot, immediately reduces the sense of immersion.

As a seasoned screenwriter, Ms. Sakurako clearly noticed this.

The creation of the main characters in the script also follows the principle of a blank slate.

This raises another question: how can this type of protagonist play a role in the story and become an indispensable part of it?

Passion and drive.

So the problem is already quite obvious.

There are too many overlaps between Tang Keke and the main character.

Highlighting Tang Keke would make the main character seem dispensable.

Highlighting the main character would result in serious flaws in the characterization of Tang Keke.

Kato Megumi quickly gathered her thoughts. "Sumire, you're absolutely right. So, what are your thoughts?"

"I was thinking... could we create some new problems and let the protagonist solve them?" Sumire Heian suggested, "and then let the protagonist and Coco have a feeling of being like-minded and moving forward side by side?"

"Hmm...that sounds great." Kato Megumi nodded. "Alright, we'll try our best to solve this problem. Is there anything else?"

"Huh?" Ping An Mingjin was taken aback.

"For example, your part."

“This…” Ping An Ming Jin looked away, “Hmm… I’ll go back and take another look.”

"Hmm?" Kato Megumi looked curious. "You didn't discover the problem with Coco's character development and then just came to me without even looking at your part, did you?"

"I... I'll leave the rest to you!" Heian Mingjin practically fled in panic.

"So their relationship is really good..." Kobayashi Sora chuckled, "Although they always argue."

Kato Megumi tilted her head, "Like senpai and Eriri?"

"It's a love-hate relationship."

"But on another note, it's fortunate that she discovered the problem," Kato Megumi said, flipping through the script. "She even offered a solution."

“This would require adding a lot of plot,” Kobayashi Sora stretched. “I’ll contact Sakura-sensei, raise this issue, and then finalize the outline.”

"Hmm, how's the outline coming along with your senior's?"

"It's still in the process of being improved, and we'll receive some new ideas gradually," Kobayashi Sora replied. "After a while, we can repeat the previous process."

It was a process of repeated adjustments. Kasumigaoka Utaha would come up with an idea, Kobayashi Sora would add the idea to the outline, Kasumigaoka Utaha would expand the outline into a story, Kato Megumi would polish it, Kobayashi Sora would make further adjustments, Kasumigaoka Utaha would expand it again, Kato Megumi would polish it again... until it was polished to a satisfactory level.

Kobayashi Sora reported the problem to Sakura-sensei and received a reply quickly.

[Major revisions are needed; the number of existing story events needs to be doubled, which may affect the project's progress.]

Kobayashi Sora replied to Sakura-sensei, asking her to come up with a plan first.