How to raise a random guy's wife

“From what you just said, when faced with your direct question, Shiyu’s first reaction was to change the subject and not want to discuss it in depth,” Kobayashi Megumi calmly analyzed. “Even after you explained the situation, she still intentionally avoided the core of the problem and tried to change the subject again.”

"Now that you mention it..." Kobayashi Sora thought back, "it seems to be true."

Kobayashi Megumi's eyes flickered slightly. "Even if you focus the topic on Eriri, Utaha is still pointing out the obvious problems. Even though you've made it very clear, she's still asking for the obvious answer."

Kobayashi Sora gradually caught up with Kobayashi Megumi's train of thought. "Given her thinking ability, she shouldn't be unable to react, right? Unless... she's thinking about something else?"

“If nothing unexpected happens, that should be how it is.” Kobayashi Megumi blinked. “Although Shiyu always says that I am very thoughtful, she is the one who is very thoughtful and rarely confides in anyone.”

"That's right, my wife isn't one to overthink things~"

"Ugh, we're being serious." Kobayashi Megumi nudged Kobayashi Sora.

There was no progress.

There's nothing we can do about it...

He's so strong.

Kobayashi Sora hugged Kobayashi Megumi, her brows furrowed slightly. "So, what is Utaha planning? Is it a secret plan?"

Kobayashi Sora recalled that Kasumigaoka Utaha had done something similar back in high school.

I never expected that after so long, Kasumigaoka Utaha would do something similar.

Never forget our original aspiration?

Kobayashi Megumi glared at Kobayashi Sora.

This person is always like this; when we're talking about serious matters, he suddenly hugs me in a rather inappropriate way, and after hugging me, he starts talking about serious matters again.

That way, they can't struggle anymore.

Because we were having a serious conversation.

Bad guy...

“And judging from Shiyu’s attitude,” Kobayashi Megumi added, blushing, “she clearly wants to face this alone.”

Kobayashi Sora frowned even more deeply. "Then what should we do?"

“We can only trust her.” Kobayashi Megumi reached out and smoothed Kobayashi Sora’s brow. “Think about it carefully, Shiyu rarely plans anything on her own. On the one hand, she finds it troublesome, and on the other hand, most problems can be solved better and faster with our help, so there is no need for her to face them alone.”

“Now that she’s chosen to plan and execute her own plan, it means there’s very little help we can offer her,” Kobayashi Sora realized. “So we can only trust her—is there nothing we can do?”

“Yes.” Kobayashi Megumi’s finger traced the bridge of Kobayashi Sora’s nose. “Although our help with the plan is limited, we can help her directly. For the plan to be implemented smoothly, Shiho will definitely come to us when she needs help. As long as we help her accomplish what she wants to accomplish, her plan will naturally be able to proceed smoothly.”

"My wife is so smart." Kobayashi Sora kissed Kobayashi Megumi on the cheek. "Here's a reward for her."

"Hmm..." Kobayashi Megumi pinched Kobayashi Sora's blue face, "Is this a reward for me?"

"Isn't that so?"

Kobayashi Megumi gently kissed his lips. "That's how it should be."

-

“Back when advertising revenue was the mainstream model, there weren’t many anime works to begin with, so a single work used to have a much larger audience than it does now. Of course, there were also works that didn’t become popular.” Kasumigaoka Utaha chatted with Eriri while organizing her notes. “However, because the production companies hold the copyrights, even if this year’s work isn’t popular, past works will continue to generate revenue for the animation production companies. Established animation production companies like Studio Pierrot and Toei Animation can obtain a fairly balanced source of income from both the copyrights of their past works and the production fees for the works they are currently working on.”

"But the production committee model is the mainstream now, right?" Eriri wasn't very interested in these topics, but they were one of the very few topics she could discuss with Kasumigaoka Utaha. "Like you said before, nowadays animation production companies basically have nothing to do with the copyright of the animations they produce."

“Without sufficient copyright revenue, animation production companies will find it difficult to have the resources to create truly original animated works.” Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at her notes. “And in order to maximize their own profits, companies will not invest more money in a single work, but will instead increase the number of works they invest in. As a result, the more animated works are released, the more balanced the supply and demand become, causing the audience’s limited attention to be spread across too many works, ultimately leading to a decreasing probability of the emergence of phenomenal and blockbuster works.”

“In this situation, the committee is more inclined to produce works that won't lose money than to gamble on which work will become a hit. The production companies will choose original works that already have good popularity and reputation.” Eriri recalled some anime she had watched recently. She didn't know much about copyright, but as an otaku, she knew a lot about anime works. “Once a work becomes popular, they assume that this type of anime is definitely profitable, so they produce a lot of similar works, and they tend to choose well-known production companies and creative teams. On one hand, there are fewer and fewer original anime works, and on the other hand, there are more and more homogenized rubbish works. There should be a limit to isekai (another world) anime! The industry is doomed!”

“The production team’s goal is definitely to make every work a hit, but given this business model that is based on the premise of loss and occasionally makes a lucky break, no one can guarantee that a work will be a sure thing.” Kasumigaoka Utaha did not feel too indignant about this. “So we can only continue to increase the number of works invested in, even if the audience will get tired of them, we still try our best to use the production team that has produced popular anime before.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha paused, her gaze falling on Eriri.

That's why she...

Chapter 618 You Despicable Person

Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her eyelids slightly, suppressing the turbulent thoughts in her heart, and tried to keep her voice calm. "In short, most of the problems now are related to the fact that animation production companies are not making money. The current situation of animation production companies is both the cause and the result of the current situation of the industry."

Eriri rested her chin on her hand. "No wonder Sora and Akane have such bad reputations, yet so many people still collaborate with them. At least they didn't play any tricks with the production budget. Sora likes to coerce, but she also likes to entice, while Akane is a creator herself and knows the hardships of animation production."

"Simply operating according to the existing model is enough to establish a foothold in the industry. If we could change the status quo..."

“It’s easier said than done,” Eriri muttered. “It’s not that easy.”

"Although it's not easy, it's still possible," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, expressing her thoughts. "Let all the companies participating in the production committee operate under the principle that 'money should go to the creators,' adjust the existing profit distribution model, and establish studio copyrights, animator copyrights, and director copyright taxes. Some studios and staff have already implemented this measure and achieved considerable success."

"Theoretically feasible, and some people have even succeeded, so it sounds pretty good..." Eriri pointed out the key issue, "But isn't this competing with the production committee for resources? It's not that easy. Or perhaps we can hope for a change of heart among the vested interests?"

“We could also try to acquire the copyright to the original work.” Kasumigaoka Utaha had more than one idea. “Generally speaking, anime is adapted from popular manga and novels. Theatrical versions and some TV anime are made based on the initial drafts of works created by the director and other animators through their writings and drawings—this is what we did together with the Kaguya-sama: Love Is War theatrical version and 5 Centimeters Per Second.”

Let's go together...

Eriri turned her head to look aside. "You were also involved in the production of '5 Centimeters Per Second.' Not all the production staff can grasp the same feeling and work together. 'Kaguya-sama: Love Is War' has a manga, so the production staff understood the general style. But for '5 Centimeters Per Second,' which is a completely original work, the production staff didn't have a clear understanding of this style, and the production process was full of problems. No…"

Not everyone can work together as perfectly as we can.

Eriri opened her mouth, but swallowed the words she was about to say.

“If it weren’t for the experience of producing ‘5 Centimeters Per Second,’ the ‘Your Name’ project we’re working on now might have run into even more problems.” Eriri recalled the news she heard while chatting with Megumi Kobayashi. “Moreover, original works without a large fan base and no guarantee of box office success are difficult to attract investment.”

"So... as you can see, becoming a qualified animator isn't difficult, but becoming an outstanding animator, or even one who changes the status quo of the industry, is very difficult." Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her notebook. "And I chose the latter."

"Yes, yes, you're the best." Eriri drawled, "You were number one in your grade every year in high school, number one in your grade every year in college, and now that you want to be an animation producer, of course you have to strive to be number one too—good luck!"

Don't worry about me.

Why should I care?

What right do I have to care?

Who gave you permission to interfere?

"School and society are different. Even if I get top marks in school, it doesn't mean I can achieve my goals in society." Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't blindly confident. "I don't know how far I can go on this path, how long I can go, or what the final outcome will be..."

Eriri was stunned. In her memory, Kasumigaoka Utaha had always been a very confident person, except when she was scolded by Akane Kousaka.

Even after being taught a lesson, Kasumigaoka Utaha still displayed the courage to say, "I can fight again."

Eriri knew, of course, that Kasumigaoka Utaha also had moments of vulnerability and insecurity, but she never expected that Kasumigaoka Utaha would show it in front of her.

This is clearly a good opportunity to strike back at those who are mocking you.

Eriri knew that this was a golden opportunity and wouldn't come again, so she immediately launched into a high-level taunt, "Since you don't know what the final result will be, it's also possible that you've gone a long way and for a long time, and incidentally become number one."

Aaaaaaahh ...

The intention was clearly to be sarcastic, but it ended up sounding like this!

Eriri is so angry!

No, we have to teach her a lesson!

Eriri rallied her spirits, "Well... of course, there's also the possibility of utter failure. You might work hard for so long only to be crushed by reality and become disheartened. If that happens, you can come to me for help, and I might be willing to lend you a hand, like making another animated movie together."

“Okay, you said it yourself.” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s lips curled up. “If I can’t continue as a producer, I’ll come back and collaborate with you.”

Eriri: "Huh?"

"Ah~~~" Kasumigaoka Utaha stretched comfortably. "With you backing me up, I feel much more at ease. All that's left is to work hard without any worries—it's late, go to sleep early, goodnight~"

Eriri stared blankly as Kasumigaoka Utaha returned to her room, and it took her a while to react, "Kasumigaoka Utaha!"

Ah ah ah ah ah!

That despicable woman!

Eriri knew that Kasumigaoka Utaha would never suddenly reveal such a vulnerable side of herself.

It was all her scheme! A conspiracy!

What does it mean to say, "If I can't continue as a producer, I'll come back to collaborate with you"?

What exactly does Kasumigaoka Utaha think of me?

What's going on with this kind of scumbag statement like, "I'll come back and marry you after I've had my fun outside"?

And they even talk about a safety net... who is the safety net anyway!

"Kasumigaoka Utaha!" Eriri knocked loudly on Kasumigaoka Utaha's bedroom door. "Open the door!"

"What?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice rang out, "Want to sleep with me?"

"Who wants to sleep with you!" Eriri stomped her foot angrily. "Get out here!"

"I want to sleep... You want me to leave?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice was filled with undisguised laughter. "Want to sleep in your room?"

"Go to hell!" Eriri stomped her feet and left unwillingly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha clearly had no intention of coming out, and continuing to make a scene at the entrance would only be a waste of time.

And she still teases me.

"Ughhhhh... Damn Kasumigaoka Utaha!" Eriri rolled around on the bed in frustration, and it took her a while to calm down.

That seems pretty good too.

Eriri hugged the blanket tightly.

hateful......

Chapter 619 My Lovely You

That's how kids' tempers are; they can change in an instant.

Ran Kobayashi, who had just wanted to go out and play, now wanted to stay home while waiting for Megumi Kobayashi to do the housework.

Kobayashi Megumi folded the dried clothes one by one, while Kobayashi Ran watched her fold her own little skirt, observing how her mother did it and checking how well she folded it, keeping herself very busy.

After folding only a few pieces, Xiaolin Lan became very interested in Xiaolin Kongqing's clothes, picking up her father's white T-shirt and shaking it, exclaiming, "Daddy's clothes are so big!"

Megumi Kobayashi explained with a smile, "Because Daddy is big, he needs to wear bigger clothes."

"Bigger...?" Ran Kobayashi held up Kobayashi Sora's T-shirt to herself, then suddenly remembered something. She pulled her father's clothes over herself, almost completely covering her. Ran raised her little hand and shook it, "It's a ghost~"

"Hmm..." Kobayashi Megumi tilted her head, "It's very cute."

Ran Kobayashi, with a fierce yet adorable expression, bared her teeth and claws, then earnestly corrected him, "It should be scary!"