How to raise a random guy's wife

Kasumigaoka Utaha answered the phone and turned on speakerphone, "Hui?"

"Would you like to come over for lunch tomorrow?" Kobayashi Megumi's voice came from the other end of the phone. "I've made your favorite dishes."

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Eriri and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Eriri answered loudly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha had the same thought... But why does this feeling of left-behind parents calling their children home for dinner keep me so familiar?

The next day, before noon, Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived at Kobayashi Megumi's house early.

That is, Kobayashi Sora's house.

"Please wait a moment," Kobayashi Megumi said, gesturing for them to sit down. "The food will be ready in a little while."

She was still wearing her secretary's uniform, which, combined with the apron, gave her a unique beauty.

“Your outfit…” Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at Kobayashi Megumi.

“Ah… I forgot to change it,” Kobayashi Megumi replied. “This morning, I went to the RER with Sora Ao.”

Eriri asked worriedly, "Has something happened over there again?"

"After all, Zhu Yin is in trouble, and as a club that is led by her, we still need to stabilize things," Kobayashi Megumi replied. "So I went there this morning and announced the news of double wages for two months."

“In this way, at least in the short term, we don’t have to worry about losing staff,” Kasumigaoka Utaha analyzed. “However, in this way, many people may feel that RER is somewhat dangerous.”

Before a major battle, there must be supplies. Kobayashi Sora's use of such a simple and brutal method to stabilize the group is basically telling everyone that RER is about to face a major crisis.

“Even if we don’t do this, everyone knows RER is in crisis.” Kobayashi Megumi paused, “After all, Akane-nee…”

"How exactly is Akane Kousaka?" Eriri pressed.

“The situation is not optimistic,” Kobayashi Megumi said solemnly, “Her right hand…cannot move.”

"What?" Eriri's eyes widened. "That girl is an artist! A manga artist! If she can't move her right hand... doesn't that mean she's lost everything?"

"From the perspective of cerebral infarction, this is already considered mild."

“She’s the strongest… a monster who can rival me.” Eriri bit her lower lip. “If a painter loses his painting… what’s the big deal?”

Kobayashi Megumi comforted her, "With proper care, you can recover."

"The premise is that she's willing to take good care of herself," Kasumigaoka Utaha pointed out incisively.

"As long as your creative work goes smoothly, she can recover properly," Kobayashi Megumi smiled. "So don't worry, she'll be fine."

“Megumi…” Eriri opened her mouth, then looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Regarding Akane's situation..." Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at Kobayashi Megumi, "You already knew, didn't you? But you didn't tell us, because you didn't want us to worry?"

"Because this is an important time."

"We weren't bothered by any of the Maltz staff at all. She's been protecting us so we can focus purely on creating our work, although that's something I'm extremely, extremely, extremely annoyed about." Kasumigaoka Utaha's delicate brows furrowed slightly; being treated like a child and protected like that...

“We understand what you’re doing, but…” Eriri said the truth, “We’ve already received a call from Malz and know about their decision—so there’s no need to hide anything from us anymore.”

"Malts contacted you?" Kobayashi Megumi was taken aback, then calmed down. "Now that you know, what's your decision? Do you want to end it here, or do you want to create until you're satisfied?"

“How could it end like this!” Eriri replied decisively. “I want to continue, and so does Utaha.”

“My original task was to appease you, but now there’s no need for that.” Kobayashi Megumi smiled brightly. “Then, let’s continue creating. Leave the rest to us.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha shook her head. "Even if you say that, we can't be completely at ease."

"I'm quite relieved because of the news you brought," Kobayashi Megumi waved her hand. "Simply put, Sora Ao will be in charge of communicating with Malz, and his biggest reliance is your creative abilities. You can start after dinner. The better the results, the easier things will be later."

"Really?" Eriri asked incredulously, then suddenly noticed something very unusual, "Where's Sora?"

"He went to get a loan."

"...Can he succeed?" Kasumigaoka Utaha had some doubts.

"I feel..." Kobayashi Megumi tilted her head, "He shouldn't be rejected, right?"

-

“I refuse.” Kobayashi Sora’s father, Kobayashi Kawakami, replied expressionlessly, “You’re past the age where you can get an unsecured loan from me.”

"I'm all grown up now, shouldn't my loan limit be increased?"

“No, you took out a loan from me when you were a child, so you were the collateral yourself. What do you have to offer as collateral now?” Kobayashi Kawanashi’s voice was cold. “As a newlywed husband, you’re coming home alone, which means you’ve lost your value as collateral.”

"We were planning to come back together, but then this happened."

"What a coincidence." Kobayashi Kawanashi sneered. "I also have something to do. I have a large investment to make recently, and I don't have the funds to borrow."

Xiao Lin Kong Qing: "..."

“However…” Kobayashi Kazuki interlaced his fingers, “I’m now accepting investment. Are you interested?”

"I don't have any money right now."

“You received a lot of bonuses in the previous Kemono Friends copyright transaction.”

"Those funds are intended to be used to pay the salaries of RER employees."

“Paying salaries directly is a waste. You’re subsidizing your own salary and you’re not getting anything in return,” Kobayashi Kazuki advised. “A club that’s close to the company is still a club. Why not turn the club into a company first, use your money to buy shares in the company, then use the money from the company’s share purchase to pay salaries, and then get dividends from the profits.”

"There's no time for that now."

“That’s right, time.” Kobayashi Kazuki tapped the table lightly. “You’ve wasted too much time. If you had listened to me and entered the business world earlier, you would have found that the complex problems you face are nothing more than changes in a few numbers.”

Xiao Lin Kong Qing: "..."

“It’s not too late to start now. The salary that’s going to be paid isn’t just salary.” Kobayashi Kawashiro adjusted his glasses. “It can be used for investment.”

Chapter 406 I also refuse

“I have a great helper. With his help, the income this time will be considerable.” Kobayashi Kazuki smiled for the first time since they met. “With enough funds, your problems will no longer be problems, and your ideas can all become reality.”

"Sounds good." Kobayashi Sora chuckled. "Indeed, it would be too wasteful to just pay salaries directly."

"Good that you understand." Kobayashi Kawashiro took out the contract. "I'll guide you this time, but next time you'll have to work hard on your own."

“I refuse.” Kobayashi Sora didn’t look at the contract. “Since I can’t get a loan, I’ll have to use my own money.”

"you sure?"

“Yes, I originally wanted to do it all at once, but now I can only take it one step at a time.” Kobayashi Sora stood up. “It’s a little troublesome, but still within acceptable limits.”

“I also went through a period where I thought my ideas were more correct than my parents’ ideas. Even though I was doing the right thing, my parents couldn’t understand. Then I wanted to rely on my own efforts to make my parents acknowledge my abilities,” Kobayashi Kazuki said. “But as I grew older, I realized that my parents were not the enemy. They were just a little overprotective and wanted to help me avoid some detours.”

Kobayashi Sora chuckled, "Are you trying to persuade me not to be so stubborn?"

"No, I'm reminding myself not to be that kind of parent." Kobayashi Kawashiro gave a light laugh just like Kobayashi Sora. "Young people should take some detours. The lessons others tell you can never compare to your own experiences. Success will only make you proud, but making mistakes will make you more vigilant."

"I don't think I made a mistake."

“I don’t think you’re making a mistake either.” Kobayashi Kazuki’s tone gradually became stern. “You have already made a mistake, which is why you’re in this situation. Don’t you understand the nature of manufacturers? Or do you not understand Akane Kousaka? If something might get worse, then you should assume it will get worse. And for something to get worse, it must be due to the combined effect of multiple factors. If you had eliminated any one of those factors while assuming that things would get worse, the situation wouldn’t be this bad.”

Kobayashi Sora stood in front of the desk, obediently accepting the lesson.

“You encountered some problems, solved some problems, and then felt that you could solve any problems that came your way. You thought you had the ability to solve problems, so you let them happen.” Kobayashi Kawashiro’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word pierced Kobayashi Sora’s heart. “However, the time required to solve a problem is several times longer than the time required to prevent it. Unless the problem is so serious that it requires concentrated, radical solutions, you should prepare in advance and take preventative measures. Otherwise, you’ll end up like this, getting married only a few days ago, yet going home alone.”

So how much does she care that Kobayashi Megumi didn't come to her house...?

Kobayashi Sora lowered her head. "I understand."

"Then let's go." Kobayashi Kazuki waved his hand.

"Okay." Kobayashi Sora turned and left the study.

"You got scolded?" Xiaolin's mother chuckled softly in the living room.

"No, it's instruction." Kobayashi Sora looked around.

"The coffee-making tools are in the kitchen."

"Hmm, found it." Kobayashi Sora started making coffee.

“The company is indeed making a large investment, and we are now in the crucial final stage, which requires a lot of working capital,” Xiaolin’s mother said gently. “As for the loan, I can’t help you with that.”

“I understand, it’s my fault. Ultimately, it’s because I didn’t think things through.”

"Did Hui reprimand you?"

"Huh?" Kobayashi Sora looked up, not understanding why her mother said that.

"Your behavior of taking all the blame upon yourself does create a reliable image. But the closer people are to you, the more they dislike this kind of behavior." Kobayashi's mother narrowed her eyes. "You must have said things like, 'This is my fault,' or 'I'm sorry, it's my fault,' to her. Given Hui's current personality, she would probably have scolded you directly."

Kobayashi Sora thought back for a moment.

Hmm... that's a very direct lesson.

"Are you blushing?" Xiaolin's mother poked Xiaolin Kongqing's cheek. "Remember to bring Hui back next time. It'll be more fun if the two of you blush together."

Xiao Lin Kong Qing: "..."

"Although we can't help with the loan, this is only temporary," Xiaolin's mother said, getting down to business. "If you want to do something, just go for it. You can only win by yourself, but with us here, you won't lose."

"Thank you, Mom."

"I'd rather hear Hui say that to me."

Xiao Lin Kong Qing: "..."

dong dong dong.

Kobayashi Kazuki, who had just returned to his desk from the doorway, casually picked up a document and said, "Come in."

"I made a cup of coffee." Kobayashi Sora placed the coffee cup next to Kobayashi Kawashima.

"Hmm." Xiaolin's father picked up the coffee cup casually.

"Regarding the discussion just now, there is one point I would like to refute."

Just as Xiaolin's father was about to drink his coffee, he heard this, put down his coffee cup, looked up at Xiaolin Kongqing, and said, "Speak."

“Even without funds, my problem is not a problem.” Kobayashi Sora straightened up. “Besides, I never thought my ideas would become reality, because the beauty I am experiencing now is beyond my wildest imagination. Whether it is getting to know and love Megumi, or being born into this family and receiving your guidance.”

Is there anything else?

"It's gone."

Xiao Lin's father picked up his coffee cup. "Let's go."