How to raise a random guy's wife

"I see." Kasumigaoka Utaha picked up the proposal and carefully read the game's theme:

A song drifted through the cold wind—

In the twilight, the singing was like the guitar I played in the music room.

It's like singing along to the piano being played by someone in the next classroom.

The singing from the rooftop, clear and high-pitched like the crisp sound of bells, tightly connected our three originally chaotic melodies.

It all began in this late autumn.

At that time, who fell in love with whom?

Everyone gave it their all.

Everyone is moving forward with strong will.

Everyone was wholeheartedly, purely, and honestly committed.

To achieve a deep connection within oneself and capture an irreplaceable moment.

Chapter 553 Mental Torture

“So back then, when someone fell in love with someone, it was a love that couldn’t be delayed for even a moment,” Eriri read aloud. “And then winter—the snow that fell from the sky covered all the sins. And soon spring—all the punishments came down with the melting of the snow.”

“Let me see…” Kasumigaoka Utaha tapped her finger lightly, “School, music, love triangle.”

She flipped through the pages again and found a more straightforward description of the features. Although she had seen it before, it had been a long time, and her memory of it was hazy. "It tells a poignant story centered on the separation of the female protagonist and the male protagonist; it uses the entertainment industry, a place that embodies the unreal within reality, as a special stage; it uses the song sung by the female protagonist as the title of the work, and at the same time, it fully expresses the content of the lyrics and the melody of the song as important elements to enhance the entire work."

"Separation?" Eriri's eyes widened. "How could someone like you, who's married, come up with such a ruthless plan?"

“First of all, I didn’t write this after I got married; secondly, I was single at the time,” Kobayashi Sora replied. “Finally, it’s not that harsh.”

"That's not all?!"

“Of course not, it’s just one sentence.” Kasumigaoka Utaha waved the proposal document. “There’s more to it.”

Eriri continued reading, "First, the story fully recounts the encounter and separation between the male protagonist and the female lead, emphasizing the bitterness of their parting. After leaving a deep impression, the romance with the second female lead unfolds. And after the male protagonist becomes entangled with other women, the story then unfolds about his reconciliation with the female lead?!"

The more Eriri read, the louder her voice became, a voice filled with disbelief.

“Ex-boyfriend literature…” Kasumigaoka Utaha murmured, “It’s been quite popular lately.”

Kobayashi Sora provided even clearer data to prove Kasumigaoka Utaha's statement: "The light novel website 'Let's Become a Light Novelist!' has received a total of 551 works related to ex-girlfriends in the past two years."

"Is this the time to discuss these things?" Eriri pointed out the key point. "These kinds of stories are too horrific! Do you want the world to suffer?"

Kobayashi Megumi asked curiously, "Don't you like it?"

"Gurgle..." Eriri made a sound of resentment. To be honest, although this kind of story was heartbreaking, she quite liked it.

Or rather, it is precisely because it is so heart-wrenching that she likes it.

It's not that she has a twisted personality, but rather that some of the works she works on are very skilled in this area.

Its excellent writing style made Eriri unable to resist falling in love with this type of story.

Eh?

Eriri suddenly thought of something and looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha, "The direction of this story seems a bit familiar."

"Similar to 'Love Metronome,' Sayuka and Naoto meet, and then Yui appears." Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Kobayashi Sora. "Did you get the inspiration from me?"

Kobayashi Sora: "...I guess so."

“No wonder you’re so interested…” Eriri seemed to see through Kasumigaoka Utaha’s thoughts. “You want to use a game format to let players choose between Sayuka and Yui, right?”

"Oh right, you can do that too, you reminded me." Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips curled up. "Now we have no choice but to do it."

Yinglili: "Gu..."

"So the focus of the story is actually the part that wasn't written out." Kasumigaoka Utaha's thoughts were exceptionally clear, and she had a feeling of rediscovering her original intention. "The key lies in the love triangle between the male and female protagonists at the end, as well as the different endings that lead to after choosing the female protagonist. On one hand, it needs to depict the happiness of the two, on the other hand, it needs to tell the story of one person's bitterness, and most importantly, the feelings of the three people."

"These things are up to you now," Kobayashi Sora confessed. "That's all I can think of."

Compared to the game itself, the various memes derived from it are far more famous.

Kobayashi Sora knew the reference before she even played the game.

White Album 2 is hailed as a masterpiece that helps people break free from their otaku lifestyle.

This doesn't mean that playing it will cause you to lose interest in ACG, but rather that the complex emotional experience it brings will make it difficult for players to find comparable works for a considerable period of time, leading to a lack of interest in playing other similar works.

This is a slightly exaggerated evaluation of the work.

However, while the game itself is good, the gameplay experience is far from enjoyable.

Even though she liked it, Kobayashi Sora didn't have the courage to visit it again.

What I remember most is the emotional experience it brought, rather than the story text itself.

Therefore, what Kobayashi Sora can recall are all these vague directions and concepts; the real story still needs to be told by Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Kobayashi Sora tapped her forehead; there was another important reason why she couldn't remember the specific details of "White Album 2".

He didn't want to remember.

I enjoy watching works like "Takagi-san" when I'm in a good mood; it makes me feel relaxed and happy. I also watch them when I'm in a bad mood; they help me feel better.

I sometimes think about it and can't help but laugh out loud.

Whether watching or reminiscing, it's a great experience.

It belongs to the realm of spiritual enjoyment.

And White Album 2...

It's already at the level of mental torture.

The better it is, the more tormenting it becomes.

"What do you think?" Kasumigaoka Utaha waved the proposal in front of Eriri. "Will you participate?"

"Hmph." Eriri snorted coldly and turned her head to look to the side.

“Speaking of which, the illustration work for ‘Your Name’ is quite demanding.” Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly remembered and asked Kobayashi Megumi, “Do Ichikai and Mayu have time?”

Before Kobayashi Megumi could answer, Eriri spoke up first, "What's a little task? I'm just worried that someone hasn't written this kind of story for too long, and it'll be a waste of my drawings!"

Kobayashi Megumi and Kobayashi Sora exchanged a glance.

Well... no matter how much time has passed, Eriri is still so easy to understand.

“I’m best at this kind of story,” Kasumigaoka Utaha said calmly. “It just so happens that the ending of ‘Your Name’ was so beautiful that I was quite disappointed.”

Eriri: "Your regret is too twisted."

"Then it's decided." Kobayashi Megumi chuckled. "Kurao will lead the programming team to design the website, develop the visual novel maker, and handle the subsequent promotion. As for the original artwork, the CG team from before will continue to assist Eriri. I'll contact Liella! regarding the music, and as for the story..."

“I’ll have to do it all by myself,” Kasumigaoka Utaha replied. “Well… no one else can help with this kind of thing.”

Kobayashi Sora suggested, "You could try asking Sister Zhu Yin."

"It would be better if no one helped at all."

Chapter 554 Inside the Office

"That concludes our overview of the future development direction and related plans," Kobayashi Sora concluded. "Does anyone have any further questions?"

The New Year holiday ended in the blink of an eye, and work returned to normal.

Looking at Kobayashi Sora, Kobayashi Megumi recalled the first time she explained the project plan.

Time flies, and the staff at RER has changed several times.

Of those who listened to her explain the project plan, very few remain.

Many newcomers probably can't imagine how nervous and uneasy the now-imposing chairman was back then.

but......

Kobayashi Megumi nodded gently to Kobayashi Sora.

As long as Kobayashi Sora is by my side, what others think doesn't matter.

As people offered their ideas and opinions, Kobayashi Sora was well-prepared and calmly answered them one by one.

No one spoke again, and Kobayashi Megumi began assigning tasks. "Kobayashi Sora will be in charge of building the website and developing the content generator; you can decide the specific members. The website will take some time to launch, so in the meantime, accumulating materials in the resource library can be prioritized. Kashiwagi Eri, Hashima Izumi, and Sagara Mayu can create according to their own ideas. Hashima Iori will be responsible for the handover with Malz and complete the merger as soon as possible. Sagara Fumio will contact other illustrators and sign buyout or revenue-sharing contracts. Regarding music, focus on RER idols first, and encourage idols with creative abilities to participate; previously released original songs can also be adapted. Also…"

After the meeting ended, Kobayashi Megumi returned to the president's office and immediately lost her previous seriousness. She casually unbuttoned her coat and leaned wearily against the back of her chair.

"Tired?" Kobayashi Sora put down the documents and walked to the desk.

"Hmm." Kobayashi Megumi rubbed her neck. "It's always like this. Whenever I propose a plan, a bunch of people object."

Kobayashi Sora casually unbuttoned the collar of Kobayashi Megumi's shirt, took out some essential oil, applied it to her hands, rubbed her palms together to warm them, and then applied the oil to Kobayashi Megumi's shoulders and neck.

The collar of the suit jacket was draped over his arm, and the white shirt was draped over his shoulder.

Kobayashi Sora stood behind Kobayashi Megumi, looking down at the beautiful scenery.

The warmth of Kobayashi Sora's palm eased Kobayashi Megumi's slightly furrowed brows, relaxed her tense shoulders, and brought a lovely blush to her face.

The wonderful touch of soft skin made Kobayashi Sora love it. Her fingers rested near her collarbone, and she used her thumb to push and massage upwards, lightly going down and heavily going up. "If the president comes up with an idea and all the employees unanimously praise and agree with it, that would seem even worse."

“That makes sense.” Kobayashi Megumi nodded gently.

"Moreover, collective interests and individual interests sometimes conflict with each other. So when some people object, it's not because they think your idea is wrong, but because they think your idea is right, but it will harm their interests."

"Mmm~" Kobayashi Megumi responded with a cute little twist.

She wanted to give more of a response, but Kobayashi Sora's massage was so comfortable that she couldn't concentrate on her work and inadvertently let out a coquettish voice.

"Come to think of it, you didn't seem to tire so easily before," Kobayashi Sora said gently. "Is it because of having the baby?"

"I guess so," Kobayashi Megumi said, crossing her arms. "Actually, it's mainly..."

He lifted his arm slightly upwards, revealing the turbulent waves of the deep ravine.

Hearing Kobayashi Sora's breathing become a little heavy, Kobayashi Megumi's lips curled up. "Because you've gotten heavier..."

"I have to help you out." Kobayashi Sora began to shift her hand. "It's my responsibility."

"Who helps others like that...?"