How to raise a random guy's wife

Kato Megumi looked up and, sure enough, saw Aki Tomoya in the group. He waved over, glanced at the atmosphere, and remained silent.

Kobayashi Sora wanted to respond, but fearing it might cause misunderstandings and make others think something had happened, she could only offer a smile.

The line quickly shortened, and soon it was Aki Tomoya's turn.

“Learn…” Aki Tomoya had a lot to say, but after glancing in Kobayashi Sora’s direction, he quietly left.

"Hmm?" Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to hear Aki Tomoya's voice, but when she looked up, she saw a female reader's face, so she lowered her head again to sign the autograph.

With the readers' cooperation, the signing was completed quickly. During this time, the police arrived, took away the troublemakers and evidence, retrieved the surveillance footage, and instructed Kobayashi Sora to remember to give a statement after going to the hospital.

The three left the bookstore, got into their car, and headed to the hospital.

Throughout the journey, apart from Kobayashi Sora answering the driver's questions with a smile, Kato Megumi and Kasumigaoka Utaha remained silent.

Especially Kasumigaoka Utaha, with a cold face, and black aura almost emanating from her body.

After receiving professional examinations and treatment at the hospital and confirming that there were no problems, the three left the hospital, completed their statements, and then found a restaurant to satisfy their hunger.

"Why do you all look so serious?" Kobayashi Sora asked, her head bandaged. "Didn't the doctor say it's nothing serious?"

"Hmph, what's it to you what I think about my reputation?" Kasumigaoka Utaha sneered.

Kato Megumi glared at him, said nothing, and lowered her head to eat.

Kobayashi Sora, having been rebuffed, picked up his phone and, as expected, found relevant information.

"It's working well," Kobayashi Sora showed Kasumigaoka Utaha the message on the forum. "This will greatly increase your popularity. I'll find someone to give it a little push later, and then..."

"No need!" Kasumigaoka Utaha replied irritably.

"Huh?" Kobayashi Sora looked up. "This is a great opportunity."

"I told you it's unnecessary!" Kasumigaoka Utaha reiterated, "I can attract readers with interesting content; I don't need to do it this way!"

"Alright then." Kobayashi Sora put away her phone. "It's your decision."

"Huh?" A puzzled voice came from beside me. "Xiaolin? Senior?"

Megumi Kato's daily life is often overlooked.

The one who spoke was none other than Aki Tomoya.

Kobayashi Sora was somewhat surprised, "I thought you had already gone back."

"I bought some things." Aki Tomoya showed the bags in his hands. "Is your injury alright?"

Chapter 55 I Understand

"If I had something to do, I wouldn't be here," Kobayashi Sora said. "Perfect timing, sit down and eat with us."

Calling over the waiter, Aki Tomoya ordered some food. "Congratulations, Senpai, Love Metronome is over... It took about a year and a half from start to finish. You worked hard."

"Hmm." Kasumigaoka Utaha was still in a bad mood and responded casually.

“These are gifts.” Aki Tomoya presented two boxes.

"Huh?" Kasumigaoka Utaha paused for a moment, then opened the box. "...Wait, what kind of strangely designed bishoujo model is this?"

Aki Tomoya looked regretful, "Well, I drew lots twice and got the C prize both times."

This is what's known as gashapon, a physical magic reward.

“Oh.” Kasumigaoka Utaha put the box aside.

"By the way, I mainly came to see you today, but you got injured at the autograph session, so I had to leave first." Aki Tomoya took two folders out of his bag and handed them to Kobayashi Sora. "I stayed up very late last night and ended up being late for the autograph session, but luckily I wasn't too late. I originally wanted to find you right away, but then I remembered that you should be here, so I rushed over."

Did Aki Tomoya attend the autograph session?

Kasumigaoka Utaha paused in her eating, realizing she hadn't noticed...

"After saying all that," Kobayashi Sora raised an eyebrow, "what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Your proposal is good, but it's not the game I want to make!" Aki Tomoya said bluntly. "I'm very sorry, but I can't use your proposal."

“Okay,” Kobayashi Sora said calmly, “but I need a reasonable reason.”

“From your description, I can see the basic outline of the story. Some of the elements involved, while not the most wildly popular, are certainly the most talked-about. If the game can be successfully made, it's bound to be a hit; I have that expectation.” Aki Tomoya, after all, is a well-known game blogger. While his game development skills are average, his appreciation for quality is top-notch. “Honestly, if the game is made, I'll definitely buy three copies. But…”

Kobayashi Sora didn't interrupt Aki Tomoya. You can ignore what she said before, but the important part comes after "but".

"But this is my perspective as a player. I cannot make such a game, at least not now."

"Oh?"

"The story of *White Album 1* begins in college and continues until the characters enter the workforce. *White Album 2* begins in the final year of high school and also tells the story of entering the workforce." Aki Tomoya's thoughts are clear. "Currently, none of the members of the game club have the relevant experience, so they cannot make a decent game. Making a game based on their own imagination will only make them a laughing stock. The only one that is more likely to be made is *White Album 2*, which involves the final year of high school, but that story is too long to be completed in a short time and won't be ready for the winter anime convention."

"In that case, it is indeed true." No one is perfect. Even Kobayashi Sora couldn't possibly consider all the issues. As someone who has lived two lives, Kobayashi Sora overlooked the fact that none of the club members had ever attended university.

However, forgetting about the experience of the production staff was indeed a major oversight.

Has something been distracting you lately?

“I see…” Kobayashi Sora instinctively reached out to tap her forehead, but her arm was grabbed by Kato Megumi beside her.

Kato Megumi stopped Kobayashi Sora from rubbing her wound and released her grip, saying, "You never learn your lesson."

Is this phrase used here?

Kobayashi Sora smiled and said, "I'll come up with a few more plans soon, and then you can think about which one is more suitable."

"Kato-kun's here too... But that's not important." Aki Tomoya leaned forward excitedly towards Kobayashi Sora. "You asked me to make a game because you wanted my passion and drive, right?"

There's also the reason that you recruited Utaha and Eriri from Kasumigaoka to your team, so they would work hard under your supervision.

Kobayashi Sora answered truthfully, "You're right."

"But looking at your proposal, I just can't get excited at all, do you understand?"

Kobayashi Sora: "Can you explain it clearly?"

Aki Tomoya scratched his head and said, "What I mean is, your proposal is very good, especially good. If I had written it, it would have been even better."

Kobayashi Sora: "Hmm?"

Aki Tomoya was somewhat incoherent, "The whole project is very well-developed. Through this project, I can even see the reaction after the game is made. But how should I put it? I always feel that something is missing. It's that you accurately grasped the emotional needs of the players and created some good conflicts. I can already see the players struggling in the game you designed, and then enjoying the process."

Kobayashi Sora: "It's not that great, I think it's just so-so."

Aki Tomoya: "...Please don't say things like that."

Kobayashi Sora: "Huh?"

"What's the most painful thing? You happen to have a little talent, enough for you to covet the halls of geniuses, but not enough for you to enter. You hesitate at the door, vaguely seeing the light shining from within, but you can't knock on that door." Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her eyes. "You sit down dejectedly, thinking this is the greatest regret in the world, but you faintly hear a sigh coming from within the halls: I'm so bad!"

"Shut up! Don't portray my pain so vividly!" Aki Tomoya screamed. "What I mean is... the plan is good, but the process is wrong!"

"Calm down," Kobayashi Sora said. "Let's get our thoughts straight before we talk."

Aki Tomoya took a big gulp of his drink and took a few deep breaths. "What I'm trying to say is that if I were to create this project, then the production process would be the process of realizing a dream, a process of turning my dream into a dream that others can understand. But with your project, the process of making the game becomes just completing a job."

Kobayashi Sora frowned.

“Simply put,” Kasumigaoka Utaha understood first, “you provide me with inspiration, and that is my passionate creative process; you dictate a story and I type it out, and I am just an emotionless typewriter.”

“Ah, right, right,” Aki Tomoya nodded, “So the key right now is to find—”

“In short,” Kobayashi Sora raised her voice, “you want me to fulfill our previous agreement and inspire you to write an interesting proposal so that you can throw yourself into game development with passion, right?”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Aki Tomoya replied happily.

"I understand, I will try my best." Kobayashi Sora smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescents. "I look forward to your new project."

Chapter 56 Two Phone Calls

Aki Tomoya had other things to buy, so he didn't go with Kobayashi Sora and the others.

Sitting in the car, Kobayashi Sora gazed out the window, her eyes unfocused.

A lot of time was wasted...

"He asked you to help find someone?" Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had been quiet for a long time, suddenly spoke up.

Kobayashi Sora nodded. "Yes, that's true."

"With your abilities, finding someone shouldn't be difficult."

"almost."

"But if you can avoid looking for it, then you shouldn't."

"Hmm?" Kato Megumi asked in confusion, "Why do you say that?"

Kobayashi Sora had the same question, but since Kato Megumi had already asked, he didn't need to repeat it.

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at Kato Megumi through the rearview mirror. "To create a love story, you always need to accumulate a lot of material in that area, right? After all, at my age, I can't accumulate much life experience."

"So this is what creation is like?" Kato Megumi was exploring an unknown territory.

"In a situation like this, if a guy who claims to be an enthusiastic fan comes along and talks about himself with great enthusiasm, wouldn't it be inevitable to fall for him?"

Kato Megumi nodded, "That's true."

"Besides, the editor said that the sales of the work increased by 30% due to the website run by that boy, so it doesn't seem like this relationship is so regrettable, right?"

"Huh?" Kato Megumi looked at Kobayashi Sora. "Is she that good?"

“That’s the power of promotion,” Kobayashi Sora explained. “For a new author to gain attention, they need to grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning, which is one of the reasons why light novel illustrations are so important. Covers, blurbs, recommendations, posters... these are all promotional methods. There are so many light novels, but only a small number of readers have the time and energy to search through a sea of ​​information to find works they like. Most are passively accepting recommendations or attracted by the initial hype.”

"So much to say..."

"Compared to bookstore and online bookstore promotions, readers trust the recommendations of seasoned otaku more," Kobayashi Sora added. "Stories like the one about the senior student, which require repeated readings to appreciate their deeper meaning, and those with slow-burning emotional development, require patience to enjoy, but few people have that kind of patience—unless a seasoned otaku says the story gets more interesting as it goes on. The better the quality of the book, the better the promotion will be."

“There’s no need to flatter me.” Kasumigaoka Utaha looked out the window. “That’s roughly how it is. I’m perfectly fine on my end, but Rinri turns into a coward when it comes to the crucial moment.”

"Aki-kun?" Kato Megumi realized, "The boy you were talking about is Aki-kun."

"In short, that guy might be attentive to a girl for about half a year, but his attention will shift to the next girl next year... or rather, to the next person he'll be grooming." Kasumigaoka Utaha gritted her teeth. "Once you try to get close, he'll turn into a loser, keeping his distance from you, never agreeing, but never explicitly rejecting you either."

Kobayashi Sora was surprised, "My senior doesn't seem like the type to talk about people behind their backs."

Kasumigaoka Utaha replied irritably, "Of course I could say it to your face, but weren't you two having a great chat just now?"

Even though it was a return gift just now, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't want to dampen their spirits when they were having such a good time.