How to raise a random guy's wife

"I see..." Kato Megumi lowered her eyelids slightly. "I thought that finding me would make the game production go smoothly."

"It's not that easy..." Kobayashi Sora's voice faltered, and in that instant, something whistled past.

"Let's wait for the written proposal so all members can discuss it together."

"I'm fine... so what exactly is the plan?"

"After all, I was in the same class as Aki for a year, so I know him a little."

"But... isn't this exactly the kind of enthusiastic member you need?"

"I joined before you... I sat next to Kobayashi at the first meeting."

"You're looking for me? But we were classmates in first grade!"

"Family seems promising; I'd like to give it a try."

"There are too many people, let's go back and eat."

Why do I say that?

"The door seems to be broken; it's come out of its tracks."

"Isn't this a big deal?"

"If we fail to produce it, will we lose this position?"

"I thought it was just a hobby or something, but there's more to it than meets the eye?"

"By the way, although I joined Kobayashi's club, I still don't know why you're making games."

Speaking of which, even Kasumigaoka Utaha was interested in finding the person, but Kato Megumi never seemed to have asked about it.

She wasn't surprised when she found out that Aki Tomoya was also looking for her.

She was the one who decided to come back here for dinner, and she was also the one who decided to come to this restaurant.

She was wearing the same clothes as that day.

It's just like......

“My home is right here,” Kato Megumi stopped in her tracks. “Have a drink before you go back.”

"Kato."

"Ok?"

Kobayashi Sora asked softly, "Did you already know that Lun was looking for you?"

“Um…that day, Hasumi-sensei asked me to help find Aki-kun,” Kato Megumi paused, “and seeing that you were chatting, I didn’t disturb you.”

"I see." Kobayashi Sora handed the shopping bag to Kato Megumi. "I won't go in. Something suddenly came up, and also..."

He smiled, his eyes narrowing into crescents. "Thank you so much, you've been a great help."

Kato Megumi took the shopping bag, and Kobayashi Sora turned and waved, "See you tomorrow."

“…Hmm.” Kato Megumi opened her mouth. “See you tomorrow.”

She turned and went into her house, while Kobayashi Sora walked further and further away behind her.

"I'm home." Kato Megumi put the shopping bags down by the entryway and took out her hands to change her shoes.

"Who is it?" the older sister's voice rang out from the living room. "Could it be my younger sister who went out on a date and is back?"

Kato Megumi did not answer, but changed into slippers, picked up her shopping bags, and walked through the hallway into the living room.

"Hmm?" Kato Hiromi asked in confusion. "Is this... not going well? No, are they having a conflict?"

Kato Megumi intended to silently go upstairs and return to her room.

But their steps stopped.

“Sister,” Kato Megumi put down her shopping bag and looked at Kato Hiromi with a blank expression, “I think I… messed up.”

"This is a bit unfamiliar to me. I don't recall you ever messing things up before." Kato Hiromi raised an eyebrow. "Could it be... because of him?"

"...I'm not sure either."

“Let’s explain the whole story first,” Kato Hiromi said, taking her sister’s hand and pulling her to sit with her on the sofa. “I don’t need to interrogate her, do I?”

Having learned from her previous experience, Kato Megumi simply recounted what had happened.

Unlike last time, this time she needs an experienced person to help her.

“I don’t know much about anime and manga,” Hiromi Kato said, organizing her thoughts. “Simply put, Kobayashi wants to make a game, and for that, she needs a proposal from classmate A. Classmate A needs to find you in the white dress to get inspiration. But classmate A has a complicated personality, so even though Kobayashi knows that classmate A is looking for you, she doesn’t tell him and is thinking of other ways instead. You think making the game is very important to Kobayashi, so you wear this dress and go with Kobayashi to the shop where classmate A works, so that classmate A can recognize you and ensure that the game can be made smoothly.”

Kato Megumi nodded; her sister's summary was correct.

"Because Kobayashi is very clever, he figured it out from the slightest clues," Kato Hiromi concluded. "You noticed a change in his attitude."

"......Um."

"This child is very smart, while your brother-in-law is rather slow."

Kato Megumi just looked at her.

"Alright, alright, stop staring at me like that." The older sister gently tapped her younger sister's nose. "It's actually quite simple. Look at it from two angles, and you'll understand."

"Two angles?"

“From your perspective, you joined the game club but didn’t know what you could do. You had this opportunity to help him, so you did it. In your opinion, it’s not a big deal.” Hiromi Kato pointed in different directions with her two fingers. “From Kobayashi’s perspective, the game development encountered problems. Either he had to work hard to find other solutions, or you would get into trouble. He chose the former, but you, whom he wanted to protect, chose the latter.”

"I knew I made a mistake..."

“No, neither of you did anything wrong, and that’s the most troublesome situation.” Hiromi Kato narrowed her eyes slightly. “If no one did anything wrong, even if someone apologizes, it won’t solve the problem.”

"Then... what should I do?"

"Before solving the problem, we need to understand how the problem arose." Kato Hiromi rubbed her younger sister's head. "You were doing it for his own good, and he was doing it for your own good, so why did it turn out like this?"

Kato Megumi suddenly remembered her conversation with her sister earlier, "Because... a lie?"

"Let's remove the lie from this whole thing. Kobayashi will tell you directly what help he needs, and you might get into trouble because of it. What would you do?"

“Help him.”

“So he lied,” Hiromi Kato added. “Because you would help him, he doesn’t want you to help him. Because you are good to him, he doesn’t want you to get into trouble because of him.”

"What if I don't help?"

"Then there's even less need to tell you."

"Hmm..." Kato Megumi was a little confused. "So where is the problem?"

“Perception,” Hiromi Kato said earnestly, “Your perception of the relationship between you.”

Chapter 63 Lonely Patients

"Relationship... cognition?" Kato Megumi repeated subconsciously, feeling as if she understood something, but couldn't quite grasp it.

“He wants to shelter you from the wind and rain, and you want to share the storm with him.” Kato Hiromi further explained, “Although the intentions are both good, the directions are different.” She clasped her hands together, then opened them to the sides, “The harder you try, the further apart you become.”

"Then... what should I do?"

What was his reaction?

"He didn't react much, but I noticed something." Kato Megumi's mind flashed back to Kobayashi Sora's face, "His smile..."

"Extremely fake?"

"Ah."

"Hmm, rational, restrained, and intelligent," Kato Hiromi sighed. "How about we find someone a little sillier? I don't think you can handle this."

"Sister~" Kato Megumi twisted her body in dissatisfaction, "Your thoughts are progressing too fast."

“I’m getting married soon, so of course I want to fast-forward to the wedding.” Kato Hiromi chuckled. “But your consideration is right. After all, it’s a lifelong commitment, so you need to think it over carefully. You can’t just stick to one idea and never look back.”

So what should we do?

“I think Kobayashi’s approach was very good. He hid his emotions before thinking things through, spoke as little as possible, calmed down to think about the direction, and then made a decision.” Kato Hiromi paused, then added solemnly, “It was your own decision.”

"My own decision?"

Hiromi Kato said earnestly, "I can give you advice, and you can listen to my advice and make your own choice. But once the decision is made, even I cannot bear the consequences of your choice."

"It feels...so complicated."

"It's actually very simple. People may work in vain, but they can't gain something without effort. If you want to get something, you have to give something in return." Hiromi Kato asked, "Do you know why many people with a strong desire for control are lonely?"

"Hmm?" Kato Megumi remembered that Kobayashi Sora was a very controlling person. "Why?"

“Because inanimate objects are all under his control, satisfying his desire for control. Lights, sound systems, tables and chairs—only with his permission will they be changed.” Kato Hiromi pinched her sister’s cheek. “But if another person enters his life, then everything could spiral out of control. This is unbearable for someone with a strong desire for control. But that’s how it is. To eliminate loneliness, you have to relinquish your power, put in the effort to socialize, and if you don’t want trouble, you have to accept loneliness.”

If you enjoy the happiness of being together, you must also bear the troubles that come with it.

Once you've made your decision, you must bear the consequences.

For every gain, there is a loss.

"So," Kato Megumi looked up, "would someone with a strong need for control keep a cat?"

"Probably not," Hiromi Kato explained, "Cats are much harder to control than people."

Kato Megumi broke free from her sister's embrace, grabbed a shopping bag, and said, "I...I have something to do and need to go out for a bit."

Hiromi Kato waved goodbye, "Go find him quickly~"

"Sister~"

Watching her sister's departing figure, Hiromi Kato leaned back on the sofa, her gaze complex.

Because they were close in age, she understood Kato Megumi better than her parents in some ways.

Kato Megumi's temper... is too good.

She's so good that even if others don't care about her feelings at all, she can still get along with them normally.

But is this really a good idea?

She is considerate of others, but who is considerate of her?

She has always been like this since she was a child, putting other people's ideas above her own.

The more she cares about what others think, the less anyone cares about what she thinks.