How to raise a random guy's wife

Just right.

She can use the most appropriate method to present the most appropriate emotion in the most appropriate position.

In terms of drawing skills alone, Akane Akasaka is not as good as Eriri; in terms of emotional expression alone, she is not as good as Utaha Kasumigaoka; in terms of making money alone, she is not as good as Sora Kobayashi; and in terms of communication alone, she is not as good as Megumi Kobayashi.

Conversely, aside from their own special talents, the four of them were completely outclassed by Akane Kousaka in every other aspect.

The perfect balance of abilities and their skillful application created a monster that was virtually invincible except for its physical condition.

Eriri wasn't interested in how this monster came to be.

What she wanted to know was... what Kasumigaoka Utaha needed to do to surpass this monster.

"So..." Kasumigaoka Utaha understood her own problem, but felt even more lost. "What should I do?"

“That’s easy,” Akane Kousaka patted her chest. “Just learn from me.”

"Learn from you?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, puzzled. "Didn't you say I wasn't suited to learning your methods?"

"You already know, so why are you asking me what to do?" Akane Akasaka rolled her eyes. "If you want to walk your own path, of course you have to find your own way. What's the difference between following my ideas and imitating me?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression froze.

"By the way," Akane Kousaka tilted her head, "Is Ranran home? I haven't played with her in a while. Has she been practicing drawing lately?"

“Lanlan went to her maternal grandparents’ house,” Xiaolin Hui replied. “She will also be staying at her paternal grandparents’ house for a few days.”

"As for drawing, she does it occasionally," Kobayashi Sora added. "Coco said that when they do crafts together, Lanlan sometimes draws some interesting things."

"Prepare some markers at home, preferably not soft ones, as they require too much control from children. Right now, the focus should be on expressing their thoughts," Akane Akane nagged, worried that Kobayashi Sora and Kobayashi Megumi might hinder Kobayashi Ran's development.

Eriri looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha with some concern.

Kasumigaoka Utaha is excessively quiet.

For a fleeting moment, Eriri seemed to see a glimpse of Megumi Kobayashi from the past in Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Akane Akasaka and the Kobayashi couple chatted about Ran Kobayashi.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was clearly present, yet it seemed as if she could disappear from the scene at any moment.

He disappeared from Eriri's sight.

“I understand.” Kasumigaoka Utaha bowed to Akane Akasaka again, then turned and left.

Eriri instinctively followed.

"Let's go, let's go." Akane Kousaka waved her hand. "You must be Eri Kasumi."

After saying goodbye to Kobayashi Sora and Kobayashi Megumi, Kobayashi Sora left, and the studio fell silent again.

It was unusually quiet.

Akane Akane instinctively wanted to find some alcohol to drink, but suddenly remembered that Kobayashi Sora had confiscated most of her alcohol.

The rest were also strictly controlled by Machida Sonoko.

After all, having suffered a stroke, she no longer has the physical condition to drink alcohol freely.

If you don't want to drink, then don't.

Akane Kousaka picked up her pen and continued her previous work.

"I heard that Shi and the others came?" Machida Sonoko, who had been out working, returned and waited until Akane Akane paused her creative work to rest before speaking.

Akane Akasaka took a big gulp of water, her hearty manner making it seem like she was drinking alcohol. "Yes."

"Is it because of what you told me before, about the difficulties?"

“Yeah…” Akane Akasaka rested her chin on her hand, “I thought she would arrive a little earlier.”

"And the result?" Machida Sonoko pressed, concerned. "How did it go?"

Chapter 596 Turning Twenty

“She’s already in this state,” Akane Kousaka muttered, “What other outcome could there be?”

"Here you go again." Machida Sonoko pulled over a chair and sat down, complaining irritably, "You thought Shi had already reached her full potential and there was no room for further improvement, but didn't you still go all the way to bother her at the community center and stay up all night to organize your opinions and guide her?"

Akane Akasaka's disdain for Utaha Kasumigaoka was something Sonoko Machida could never accept.

However, Akane's subsequent actions made Sonoko Machida feel that although Akane said those things, she did not really look down on Utaha Kasumigaoka, but was guiding her very carefully.

Now Akane Kousaka is saying the same thing again.

“I now believe I was right back then,” Akane Kousaka stated. “She had indeed completed her growth by then.”

What makes you say that?

"She was just like me back then."

"Huh?" Machida Sonoko was incredulous. "You mean, she was the same in high school as you were in college?"

“Otherwise what? In high school I was just a simple fan.” Akane Kousaka recalled Kasumigaoka Utaha’s state back then. “Back then, she had already developed her own unique style, and her writing was highly recognizable, which was very rare.”

Sonoko Machida, who comes from an editing background, understands this point very well.

As an editor, she can guide authors on how to write about popular topics, how to avoid red lines, and how to arrange the plot.

But when it comes to style, there's really no way to change it.

Many popular works share similar strengths, but each popular author must have their own unique style.

Kasumigaoka Utaha has no problem with basic abilities and has her own style, just like Akane Akasaka back then.

Therefore, in Akane Akasaka's view, Kasumigaoka Utaha has reached her limit. All that's left is to keep creating and wait for a flash of inspiration to create a masterpiece.

Or perhaps they could simply live out the rest of their lives in a stable and uneventful way.

Machida Sonoko raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you completed your growth during your university years?"

“Of course not.” Akane Kousaka explained in detail, “When my growth in light novels came to an end, I could still draw manga. When my growth in manga came to an end, I could still make games. When my growth in games came to an end, I could still participate in animation production. After doing several things, I gained new insights into light novels. Then I repeated this process. The rich experiences in the process provided more material for my creation. This is my growth path after leaving university. Do you want her to start from leaving high school?”

“Of course not!” Machida Sonoko refused decisively, then realized, “She doesn’t have that opportunity either, after all, she can only write novels.”

“So we can only simulate the cruelty of the workplace and artificially increase her experience,” Akane Akane pointed to herself, “and I will play the role.”

"Oh yes, yes, you did everything right." Machida Sonoko replied perfunctorily, her mind preoccupied with Kasumigaoka Utaha. "And now?"

“Now, the problem is even bigger,” Akane Kousaka sighed. “Because…”

-

"Because of us?" Kobayashi Megumi pressed, "How so?"

Kobayashi Sora casually opened a bottle of Ramune soda and handed it to his wife. "Writing, in essence, is a simplified simulation of life, and this simulation requires reference materials. Sufficient experience is necessary to create excellent works. Even without sufficient experience, one must at least have sufficient knowledge. The best example of this is..."

“Sister Zhu Yin,” Kobayashi Megumi continued, “her past experiences led her to accumulate money and connections in a vengeful manner. While persisting in creating, she also collected talented people. In this process, she must have encountered many difficulties and had a wealth of experiences, so she had enough material to support her in completing her creations.”

"But my senior has been working with Eriri since high school graduation, and you've solved her communication problems in life, while I've solved her business communication problems," Kobayashi Sora concluded. "As a result, she has a serious lack of experience."

"Hmm..." Kobayashi Megumi thought for a moment, "Like a child who is well protected by their parents?"

“She’s been in her comfort zone for too long.” Kobayashi Sora took a sip of soda. “The most noticeable characteristic is that the tsundere characters she writes are becoming more and more vivid, the couples she writes are becoming more and more like married couples, and the emotions she writes are becoming more and more delicate, but the story structures are gradually becoming similar.”

If Kasumigaoka Utaha is content with her current situation, there's nothing wrong with that.

But it's clear that she has higher aspirations.

"Senior, you have to make a choice..." Kobayashi Megumi murmured, "Whether to continue with everyone, or to walk alone into an unfamiliar direction."

“It’s clearly a problem we caused,” Kobayashi Sora sighed, “but when it’s time to solve it, we can only watch.”

“Or rather, we shouldn’t keep creating more problems.” Kobayashi Megumi held Kobayashi Sora’s hand. “Sometimes, believing in something is a form of support.”

"I know."

Kobayashi Sora understands the logic, and doing anything more now will only trouble Kasumigaoka Utaha.

It's best for Kasumigaoka Utaha to make the decision herself regarding such a major matter that relates to the future direction of development.

But that's just Kobayashi Sora's personality; when faced with a problem, she always wants to solve it.

Now, not only does he have no way to solve the problem, but the only feasible action he can take is to watch.

This frustrated him greatly.

Kobayashi Megumi's eyes darted around, "Since there's nothing we can do, and you're in a bad mood right now, and Ranlan isn't home..."

"Huh?" Kobayashi Sora didn't understand the connection between these three things.

Kobayashi Megumi suggested with a smile, "How about we have some wine?"

"Eh?"

Calm down and think about it.

Nothing to do for the time being... so I'll have a drink.

Feeling down... so I'll have a drink.

Lanlan isn't home... so we can have a drink.

Kobayashi Megumi's suggestion is a perfect fit for the current situation.

"Speaking of which..." Kobayashi Sora recalled, "we don't think we've ever really drunk much alcohol."

“Yes,” Kobayashi Megumi recalled, “You have to be 20 to drink alcohol. By the time we were old enough to drink, Ranran had already been born.”

"She had her adorable baby before she could even drink alcohol." She looked at Xiaolin Kongqing with a smile, her little feet, encased in white socks, gently rubbing against Xiaolin Kongqing's calf. "My husband is so amazing."

Even though she hadn't drunk any alcohol, Kobayashi Sora was already a little drunk.

"I'll get the wine." Kobayashi Sora said expectantly, "I confiscated a lot of wine from Sister Zhu Yin, all of it is very good. What would you like to drink?"

"Hmm... the sake is ready."

-

"Achoo!" Akane Akasaka sneezed loudly, completely losing her composure.

Machida Sonoko asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"

“No,” Akane Akasaka shook her head suspiciously, “it seems like she’s feeling unwell.”

What's causing this heartache?