How to raise a random guy's wife

This is so hurtful!

“Ah…that’s true.” Machida Sonoko further explained, “As an editor, I have to look at a lot of submissions every day. Basically, I can tell what kind of style a work is just by looking at the first page.”

“I’ve even seen people cry because of this back then,” Akane Akasaka recalled. “It’s much better now. In the past, many strict editors didn’t consider the feelings of newcomers who submitted their work at all. They would say all sorts of harsh things to their faces without any mercy.”

Eriri looked at her strangely, "How dare she talk about others like that?"

“Although we can’t see her expression,” Kasumigaoka Utaha sneered, “judging from the way her model looks, she clearly doesn’t think her harsh words are harsh at all.”

Many people in the live comments expressed dissatisfaction with this situation, believing that the editor's judgment was too hasty.

“Actually, you can think about it from a different perspective. Both readers and editors enjoy good works. The difference is that readers have to pay money to read good works, while editors can make money by discovering good works,” Machida Sonoko explained. “From this perspective, editors are more eager to encounter good works than readers are, and most readers are unlikely to be able to read works that editors can’t get into.”

“From the perspective of the works themselves, readers are much more ruthless than editors,” Akane Akasaka added. “At least editors give a response, but readers, if they don’t like something at first glance, will just go find other works.”

[That actually makes a lot of sense]

Something feels off.

That's not wrong.

[So what exactly is wrong with it?]

"To put it bluntly, the cover lacks the ability to make editors turn to the first page." Akane Akasaka summoned a red pen, marking the illustration as she explained, "First, we need to draw what kind of illustration: beautiful, strange, creepy; with graceful, light, erotic, cool; with terrible art style; with excellent art style; something that makes people laugh; with few lines of movement; with many lines of movement; featuring only female characters; featuring only children; featuring only rocks... You can choose any of these I've mentioned, or anything else that will make people turn the page."

"Then there are the appealing titles." Akane Akasaka completely ignored the reactions of the live comments and continued speaking to herself, "Titles are annotations of the visuals and summaries of the story. Jurassic Park almost condenses all the elements of the work, Sakigake!! Boys' Juku doubles the emphasis on the story's theme and the characters' images, Death Note clarifies the important props in the story, and there are also works like Chibi Maruko-chan whose titles are based on the protagonist's name, directly reflecting the author's emphasis on the protagonist. All of these titles simply and clearly tell the reader what kind of story it is."

"At this point, a good cover is complete," Machida Sonoko concluded. "It's like passing the first hurdle."

"This cover is a failure, there's no need to look at the rest," Akane Kousaka announced bluntly. "Next one."

[Are you not going to continue watching?]

[What if the story is really good?]

[Yeah, yeah]

[Shouldn't we at least take a look?]

In response to the questions raised in real-time comments, Machida Sonoko said gently, "Regarding this issue, it's actually like this..."

She had barely begun when Akane Akasaka interrupted her, somewhat annoyed, "This kind of respectful thinking is truly touching; it's so innocent and adorable that I just want to give you a piece of candy."

"..." Kobayashi Megumi looked at Kobayashi Sora, "Is this really okay?"

"It should be fine..." Kobayashi Sora said, somewhat uncertainly, "probably."

“Although I hate to admit it,” Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at the screen, “I feel the same way.”

Eriri rested her chin on her hand. "This should only be the beginning."

"If a reader raises such a question, it's naive; if it's a creator, it's foolish." Akane Akasaka showed no awareness of the need for friendly interaction as a broadcaster, her voice laced with sarcasm. "No reader has an obligation to waste their time reading a boring work. As a creator, you should do your best to attract readers to read on, not repeatedly emphasizing the later parts of the story with nonsense like 'It's very well written, you must read on!' Why should others tolerate bad writing and bad art? As an author, it's your duty to create your own work, but readers don't necessarily have to read it. If you want people to read on, polish the beginning. If you want to rely on others' pity, just go beg. What's the point of creating anything?"

[But there are also some slow-burning works.]

[This cannot be generalized]

"Huh? Don't get me wrong." Akane Kousaka noticed the real-time comments. "The key to slow burn is that it's hot, not slow! Only works that become popular are called slow burns. You need to see the later parts before you can say that it's a slow burn. Not every slow-paced work is a slow burn. Slow development doesn't mean it's not attractive—next one."

"That's too harsh..." Eriri looked at the rapidly refreshing real-time comments, "It's sweeping generalizations."

“Only she dares to say that.” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s red eyes narrowed slightly. “I will say it myself in the future.”

Chapter 502 Pure Coincidence

Seeing that the comments section was about to erupt into a fight, Machida Sonoko immediately released a new work, "The next one is this, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War ~The Geniuses' Battle of Love Brains~".

"Hmm?" Kobayashi Megumi asked in confusion.

If she remembered correctly, this was the creative plan that Utaha and Eriri had discussed at the beach in Kasumigaoka when they went to Kamizu Island with Star Cluster.

Kobayashi Sora also remembered this, "They actually drew it?"

“I’m just killing time anyway…” Eriri muttered.

“After all, the research is done.” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s gaze lingered on Kobayashi Megumi and Kobayashi Sora. “If we don’t draw them now, we’ll forget them.”

The script and dialogue were designed by Kasumigaoka Utaha, and the illustrations were done by Eriri. Since Akane Kousaka needed materials for her live stream, the two of them simply handed over the opening they had just finished.

Megumi Kobayashi glanced slightly to the side, Utaha Kasumigaoka picked up her coffee, and Eriri picked up her black tea.

Both of them wanted to appear nonchalant, but their subconscious actions betrayed them.

"Not bad. That was a bad example, and here comes a good one right away." Akane Kousaka commented on the cover. "First, the illustration: a red-eyed, flat-chested girl, clearly Kaguya-sama from the title. The art style is exquisite, meeting the requirements I just mentioned for a female character: beautiful lines, pretty, and seductive. Then there's the title. It's a clever way to directly present the story outline, highlighting the main theme to attract readers. This is also the purpose of many light novels having increasingly longer titles these days. The content of the title contrasts with the serious expression of the character on the cover, naturally making people want to turn to the first page."

Machida Sonoko did a great job of playing the straight man, asking, "So, what are the requirements for the first page?"

“It’s simple, it makes people want to read to the second page,” Akane Akasaka answered matter-of-factly. “Unlike the cover, from the first page, as a manga, there needs to be dialogue or narration, so the text needs to be compelling enough to keep reading.” Akane Akasaka gave examples: “Calm, sad, angry, surprising, wordplay, episodic, haiku-like, rhyming like rap... in short, it has to grab the reader’s attention.”

“I remember someone saying,” Machida Sonoko introduced, “that the first page is actually a preview of the manga, giving readers a general idea of ​​what the manga is about.”

“When readers encounter a new work, they definitely want to understand its general direction as soon as possible,” Akane Akasaka responded. “If they read for a long time and still don’t understand what the work is about, they will definitely get impatient. As I said before, there are many works, and readers won’t miss this one.”

"Beginners tend to think too far ahead and try to leave too many foreshadowing elements in the early stages, which ends up making things confusing." Machida Sonoko expressed her regret about this, saying, "If the beginning isn't drawn well, then no matter how much content is added later, it's meaningless if you can't draw it."

"Speaking of which, there's another situation," Akane Akasaka thought, adding, "From the very beginning, I've been considering whether my drawing style would have too small an audience, potentially losing another group of readers. If I can't even satisfy a small group of readers, how can I consider the feelings of the majority? It just goes to show that anyone with a dream is remarkable, and not being able to leave doesn't hinder one's imagination of flight..."

"Let's look at the first page," Machida Sonoko quickly said, manipulating the screen.

Kobayashi Sora sighed, "I can feel Yuanzi's helplessness even through the screen."

Eriri said meaningfully, "Only an editor like her, who spends all her time dealing with people with bad tempers, could handle Akane Kousaka."

“Actually, I can do it too.” Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at Eriri, “After all, I have the same experience.”

"Kasumigaoka Utaha!"

Kobayashi Sora: "Watching the live stream, watching the live stream."

"This first page is what we just called a decent preview, presenting a shocking and outrageous statement, highlighting the theme that love is war, and setting the stage for the story to come." Akane Kousaka, remembering the viewers in the live stream, finally began to interact, "So, does everyone want to continue watching?"

Amidst the enthusiastic response from the audience, Akane Akasaka continued flipping through the pages, explaining in detail various creative techniques.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri gradually relaxed from their initial tension and even started taking notes.

Before we knew it, several chapters had been covered.

“From a creative point of view, there are still some issues, but they’re minor.” Akane Akasaka took a swig of beer. “As for the development of the plot later on, Kouen, you’re better at that.”

"Actually, there don't seem to be any problems at the moment..."

"Then let's talk about the risks."

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri stared intently at the screen, delighted by the feedback in the real-time comments.

This seems like a good way to promote the product...

However, they are now more concerned about the risks mentioned by Akane Akane than about the publicity.

“It’s a bit early to say now…” Machida Sonoko paused. “The first problem is that the male and female protagonists start trying to get each other to confess their feelings right away, but without the process of falling in love, it feels a bit unrealistic. Another issue is the length. If the main plot is clear, there must be phased progression. If you want to lengthen the story, you have to describe other characters, and it’s hard to control the amount of screen time they get.”

Akane Kousaka chimed in, "It would be even worse if they added unnecessary details just to lengthen the story."

“Don’t worry yet, I find the plot very interesting,” Machida Sonoko chuckled. “I really liked the scene in the car. The female lead wanted to lean on the male lead’s shoulder, but didn’t want to be too direct, so she rested her head on the car window, making a thumping sound. Then, the male lead, following her plan, reached out and cushioned her head, and she naturally leaned on his shoulder, maintaining her composure while achieving her goal. This kind of subtle romantic gesture is very interesting and cute. And the instant butterflies and joy on the female lead’s face when she leaned on the male lead’s shoulder were the perfect finishing touch, vividly depicting the brilliant mind of a genius girl and the sweet cuteness of falling in love…”

This plot... sounds somewhat familiar.

However, it seems that it doesn't quite match Kobayashi Sora's memories.

He lowered his head and met Kobayashi Megumi's gaze.

"I don't have that many ulterior motives." Kobayashi Megumi looked away and glanced at Kasumigaoka Utaha.

As for why he didn't look at Eriri...

Eriri wasn't there at the time.

Furthermore, Eriri doesn't seem like the kind of creator who would come up with this kind of plot.

Kasumigaoka Utaha said calmly, “Creativity originates from life, but transcends it.”

that is......

Any similarity is purely coincidental.

Chapter 503 Uncontrollable Emotions

Akane Akane and Sonoko Machida's first live stream ended successfully, while Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri Kasumigaoka left together after a fruitful day.

"So, you see..." Kobayashi Megumi repeated for what felt like the umpteenth time, "That was just my senior's artistic interpretation, it has nothing to do with me."

"I know," Kobayashi Sora replied with a smile while massaging Kobayashi Megumi. "I didn't doubt it."

Your expression betrayed you.

"Eh?"

"That smug look on your face." Kobayashi Megumi's cheeks puffed out slightly. "Do you really enjoy it when people go to such lengths to tempt you?"

"I like it when you go to great lengths to seduce me."

"..." Kobayashi Megumi pursed her lips slightly, "I didn't."

"Mmm." Kobayashi Sora could understand Kobayashi Megumi's reaction.

It's quite embarrassing to have something like this exposed.

Kobayashi Megumi whispered, "It hasn't been hollowed out yet."

"Huh?" Kobayashi Sora paused, then asked curiously, "Speaking of which, when did it start... um... that you liked me?"

Kobayashi Sora was about to ask Kobayashi Megumi when she started to put her heart into it, but she interrupted halfway through her sentence.

"Hmm..." Kobayashi Megumi rolled her eyes at him, "I don't know."

"I see..."

"At first..." Kobayashi Megumi pursed her lips slightly, "I just felt very comfortable being with you."

“Me too.” Kobayashi Sora felt the same way.

Kobayashi Megumi tilted her head slightly, recalling how the two of them interacted at the beginning. Combining this with what she later learned about Kobayashi Sora's personality traits, she quickly understood the source of this comfort.

Kobayashi Sora's mother's summary is very accurate. Kobayashi Sora's basic mode of getting along with others is to [arrange things for others, make demands on others, and stimulate their nerves and emotions, expecting their resistance].