How to raise a random guy's wife

Boom, boom, boom.

A knock sounded at the door, and Kobayashi Sora withdrew her clutches. Kobayashi Megumi quickly straightened her collar and said, "Come in."

"Megumi, I have a new idea." Mayu Sagara walked in holding a piece of paper, her cute short twin tails bouncing with her steps. "It's like this... um?"

With her nostrils flaring, Mayu Sagara vaguely smelled a strange odor, and her gaze towards the two became somewhat odd. "Did I... disturb you?"

Kobayashi Megumi looked curiously at the paper in her hand. "What were you thinking just now?"

"Ah...this!" Mayu Sagara handed the paper in her hand to Megumi Kobayashi. "I got the inspiration from that galgame maker."

"Mmm." Kobayashi Megumi glanced at it; it was all a jumble of keywords, connected by even more chaotic lines.

Kobayashi Sora poured three glasses of water and gave one to Kobayashi Megumi and Sagara Mayu. After taking a sip, she memorized the contents of the paper, then rearranged the order in her mind to form a more concise mind map. "A virtual idol editor?"

“That’s right!” Mayu Sagara explained excitedly, “Galgame makers can lower the barrier to entry for creating galgames, right? I was thinking, is there any way to lower the barrier to entry for virtual idols? As you know, many people are auditioning for virtual idol positions, but on the one hand, RER’s resources are limited and we can’t sign so many streamers, and on the other hand, many people don’t meet the signing requirements. But many people are very talented, it’s just that this talent can’t be quantified. If we give them a chance, they might be able to create a miracle!”

"So you're planning to use the character design library from a visual novel creator to build a virtual idol library," Kobayashi Megumi followed up on Sagara Mayu's line of thought. "So that people who didn't pass the interview or don't want to join a company can also use this virtual idol editor to create their own virtual avatars and debut as idols?"

“That’s right!” Mayu Sagara pointed to the terms on the paper. “There are two directions. One is modularization, with different hairstyles, different hair colors, clothing, makeup, and pupils, so that different characters can be distinguished. The other is image modeling, which allows users to upload images and generate models. I can handle the former, but the latter requires someone with programming skills.”

Kobayashi Megumi looked at Kobayashi Sora, who nodded. "It's feasible, but the effect can't compare to the first one. It will feel somewhat out of place, but it'll be sufficient."

“However, the problem is revenue…” Mayu Sagara sighed, “If there’s no revenue, this kind of software can’t continue to operate.”

"That's simple." When it comes to making money, Kobayashi Sora has countless methods. "Close out some models, unlock them for a fee, and streamers who use the models need to pay a portion of their revenue as a usage fee. You can also pay to create materials that aren't in the material library, or pay extra to optimize the models, buy exclusive special effects..."

Chapter 555 In the Office

Mayu Sagara's pupils dilated upon hearing this. "There are so many?"

“This is only a part,” Kobayashi Sora said, spreading her hands. “There are only this many for now. With the subsequent software updates, the addition of more new features, and the contact with more artists to join, there will be even more ways.”

Kobayashi Megumi tapped her pen on the paper, "What if... we changed direction?"

"Hmm?" Kobayashi Sora asked curiously.

Kobayashi Megumi further explained, "If we design so many charging points, it will be difficult to ask the streamers to do anything else. Moreover, if we charge them, the streamers will also consider the investment. Our goal is to attract more people to the industry, so there is no need to design another barrier."

“But software development and maintenance both require money,” Mayu Sagara said. “Without income, software development would be a problem.”

“No income... doesn’t mean we shouldn’t spend money.” Kobayashi Sora noticed Kobayashi Megumi’s train of thought. “For example, promotion is pure money-burning, but you can’t make money without burning money.”

“If we use this software as a marketing tool, then there’s no need to design any paid features,” Kobayashi Megumi pointed out. “If the software is paid, we can’t impose any additional requirements on the streamers. So if the software is free, we can add some requirements for the streamers. For example… adding the 'RER' suffix to their names.”

Kobayashi Sora analyzed in detail, "In this way, every live stream by a streamer using the editor is an advertisement for the editor and RER. Therefore, the software development and maintenance costs can be included in the advertising costs. If any of the streamers become popular, the advertising effect will be even better."

"Moreover, if it's free, once the streamer becomes famous, if they want a new model, the first thing they'll think of is RER." Kobayashi Megumi waved the pen in her hand. "Charging is business, giving it away is a favor, and the latter is more effective than the former."

Watching Kobayashi Sora and Kobayashi Megumi sing in unison, Sagara Mayu realized that being a company president and secretary was indeed not an easy job.

One of them is adept at making money, while the other has a keen understanding of human nature.

Before coming here, Mayu Sagara had no idea about the software's revenue and was worried that the software would not be able to be produced.

After listening to Kobayashi Sora and Kobayashi Megumi's discussion, I've started to think that it would be a huge loss not to develop this software.

"Moreover, the virtual idol editor can work in conjunction with the galgame maker," Kobayashi Megumi marked on the paper. "In this way, the streamer can use their own virtual avatar to create galgames to explain the setting and attract fans."

“In the past, we had to do it ourselves, and the streamer needed to have a certain fan base,” Kobayashi Sora sighed. “Now, all we need to do is provide the tools.”

It seems that creating content is not as effective as creating a platform.

“Your idea is really good.” Kobayashi Megumi handed the paper back to Sagara Mayu. “Here’s what you do: go back and organize it into a detailed proposal, then submit it to me for approval. After going through the process, we can officially begin.”

"A proposal?" Mayu Sagara looked somewhat troubled.

"Just ask your brother," Kobayashi Sora reminded her. "He'll handle it."

"Great!" Mayu Sagara picked up the paper and went outside.

Just as she closed the door, Mayu Sagara remembered something and pushed the door open again. "I won't disturb you any longer, you can continue."

Kobayashi Megumi: "......"

Kobayashi Sora asked curiously, "Is it that obvious?"

"Hmm..." Kobayashi Megumi thought for a moment, "It should smell like essential oils."

Kobayashi Sora took a sniff. "The scent is very faint."

"It's different for girls."

Kobayashi Sora reapplied the essential oil to her hands and rubbed her palms together to warm them. "So, do you like this scent?"

"It's fine..." When she noticed that Kobayashi Sora hadn't unbuttoned her clothes, she applied the essential oil to her hands first. Kobayashi Megumi bit her lower lip and had no choice but to unbutton her clothes herself. She tugged at her collar and gave him a somewhat resentful look.

Kobayashi Sora pretended not to see it. The way he unbuttoned his clothes and how Kobayashi Megumi unbuttoned hers were completely different experiences.

With her fingers resting on Kobayashi Megumi's shoulder, Kobayashi Sora used her thumb to massage her shoulder. "But speaking of which, Masayuki's idea is really good."

“Hmm~” Kobayashi Megumi closed her eyes slightly, “Her paintings were amazing back then, and she’s been creating all sorts of virtual characters these past few years. She must think more deeply than us—hmm~ more deeply than us.”

“Going deeper…” As soon as he mentioned going deeper, Kobayashi Sora’s gaze uncontrollably drifted into the deep ravines and treacherous valleys.

"Hmm..." Kobayashi Megumi whispered, "I can feel the warmth of your gaze."

"Huh? Is it that obvious?"

"Do you feel it's very secluded?"

"I'm right behind you."

"But your actions and voice betrayed you."

Now that she'd been exposed, Kobayashi Sora stopped pretending. "Speaking of which, is it really that heavy?"

"Ok?"

"Is it so heavy that it causes neck and shoulder pain?"

"Hmm... because of the change, it feels especially clear." Kobayashi Megumi recalled, "In high school, it was just right, so I didn't feel anything. But when I had Ranran, it suddenly got much bigger, and I could clearly feel the difference."

"Such a heavy burden..." Kobayashi Sora made up her mind, "I can't turn a blind eye to it."

"so?"

"I want to help you with the burden."

Kobayashi Megumi bit her lower lip lightly, "Hmm... this kind of sharing..."

"Although it's only temporary, I'll be more careful in the future," Kobayashi Sora said righteously. "I'll help you out whenever I have time, even if it's just for a little while."

Kobayashi Megumi puffed out her cheeks slightly, "That sounds nice, you are..."

Thump, thump thump.

A knock sounded at the door, and Kobayashi Sora withdrew her clutches. Kobayashi Megumi quickly straightened her collar and said, "Come in."

"Senior Hui, I have a great idea." Hashima Izumi walked in carrying a few sheets of paper, her white shirt billowing with each step, the buttons on the chest looking like they might pop off at any moment. "It's like this... um?"

With her nostrils flaring, Hashima caught a whiff of something strange. She looked suspiciously at Kobayashi Megumi and Kobayashi Sora, her face flushing red at a visible speed, her eyes filled with panic. "I...I disturbed you?"

Why are all the lines so similar?

Kobayashi Megumi looked curiously at the paper in her hand. "What were you thinking just now?"

“It’s like this.” Hashima Izumi tried to calm himself, placing the paper on his desk. “I got the inspiration from *White Album*…”

Chapter 556 Beside the Desk

"The game we're making this time is in a style that my senior used to excel at," Izumi Hashima explained. "It has a retro feel to me, so I thought, could I draw a retro-style story?"

Kobayashi Megumi looked at Kobayashi Sora, and although she didn't say it aloud, her thoughts were clearly conveyed: Are all artists so open-minded?

That's quite an amazing ability to make connections.

Kobayashi Sora smiled. Art often contains ideas that are difficult for ordinary people to understand, so this is normal.

Kobayashi Megumi nodded, recalling the games that Kobayashi Sora had taken her to play in the beginning. "You mean, that kind of old-fashioned art style?"

Anime like "Sailor Moon" and "Fist of the North Star" were very popular in their time, but were gradually replaced by new art styles. However, they have a unique charm now.

However, what Po Island is trying to achieve is probably something like "Sailor Moon".

"Yes, yes, yes!" Bo Island flipped through the printed paper. "That's exactly what I meant—to tell a story with a unique art style."

Kobayashi Megumi stared blankly at the words on the paper for a moment, "Wait... isn't this a bit too old-fashioned?"

Kobayashi Sora glanced at it, also surprised, "Ukiyo-e?"

As Kobayashi Megumi said, this is a bit too old-fashioned.

Or rather, it shouldn't be called "ancient times," but rather "ancient times."

“But isn’t that the style of ukiyo-e figures? I tried to make the characters look more modern.” Hashima Izumi flipped through the printed paper. “Like this effect!”

“Hmm…this looks much better, combining the style of ukiyo-e with the aesthetic appeal of modern character designs.” Kobayashi Megumi cut to the chase, “So, what about the story?”

"I got the inspiration from my senior. Isn't she good at developing emotions? The characters' behavior is puzzling in the early stages, but the more you read, the clearer the inner logic of their actions becomes. When all the foreshadowing and emotions explode together, it always brings a thoroughly enjoyable experience." Izumi Hashima became more and more excited as she spoke. "Although the themes are different, the style is very similar to that of the teacher who wrote 'Hyakki Yagyō' (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons)."

"The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?" Kobayashi Megumi searched her memory. "Toriyama Sekien?"

Bo Island shook his head as he went out to sea. "It's not that one, it's the one with yin and yang."

Kobayashi Sora raised an eyebrow. "Kyogoku Natsuhiko's Kyogoku-do series?"

"Yes, yes, that's it!"

“Indeed.” Kobayashi Sora agreed with the description given before setting sail from Hashima Island; he had had similar thoughts.

Both authors excel at foreshadowing and emotional structure, but the difference lies in the fact that Kyogoku Natsuhiko writes mystery novels, while Kasumigaoka Utaha writes romance novels.

Of course... the difference in status and industry influence goes without saying.

But what does this have to do with the story that Bo Island is going to draw when he sets sail?

"Isn't Kyogoku-do, the protagonist of the Kyogoku-do series, always able to solve bizarre cases that seem almost like monsters causing trouble, and reveal the truth behind the strangeness, with a reasonable and clear line of thought?" Hashima Izumi's eyes sparkled. "That's where my inspiration comes from."

“Ah…” Kobayashi Sora recalled the contents of the Kyogoku-do series, “Indeed.”

The description of going out to sea from Po Island is not comprehensive, but it is indeed true.

Kyogoku Natsuhiko is a unique "yokai-type" mystery writer in Japan and a pioneer of the new orthodox school of mystery.