How to raise a random guy's wife

After eating, we continued working.

The difference is that Kasumigaoka Utaha can eat the same food for a long time.

She doesn't mind drinking water every day as long as it replenishes her energy.

Eriri grew up eating the delicious meals her family's chef prepared every day, and her fondness for fast food stems from the fact that she rarely eats it.

If you really had to make her eat the same food every day, she absolutely couldn't stomach it.

That's why the task of cooking fell to Eriri.

Eriri, who was forced into this situation, was already doing a good job of making edible food. As for the presentation... after making a dish that tasted decent, Eriri was too lazy to put any more effort into the appearance.

As long as you can eat it.

"Buckwheat noodles aren't a complicated dish. Is it that hard to make them look nice?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded. "That's right, so you didn't ask Megumi for advice?"

"of course not."

"What about Kong Qing?"

"..." Eriri remembered something else, "Why didn't you come home this year?"

"So you learned it from Sora Aoi; changing the subject is itself an answer." Kasumigaoka Utaha easily saw through Eriri's intentions. "You didn't go home either."

"My dad seems to be attending some kind of meeting, and my mom is going with him, so I'll be going back alone," Eriri muttered. "What about you?"

"They don't have any meetings to attend; they've gone on a trip."

Why didn't you go with us?

“I still have work to do,” Kasumigaoka Utaha poked at the fried shrimp, “and they said that adults shouldn’t disturb adults’ private time together.”

Yinglili: "..."

I especially like Chapter 875.

Faced with Kasumigaoka Utaha's tragic fate, Eriri was speechless for a moment.

In her opinion, this was truly tragic.

“You don’t need to look at me like that,” Kasumigaoka Utaha swallowed her noodles. “It’s always been like this since I was a child.”

Eriri muttered, "No wonder..."

Although Eriri didn't say everything, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was familiar with Eriri, still understood what she meant.

You're mistaken.

"Ok?"

“It’s not because they always leave me out that I’m alone,” Kasumigaoka Utaha clarified, “but because I like being alone, that’s why they do it.”

Whether reading or writing, focus is essential.

Initially, Kasumigaoka's parents were worried that they weren't spending enough time with Kasumigaoka Utaha. However, they later realized that Kasumigaoka Utaha needed more alone time than companionship, so they respected her hobbies and ideas and allowed her to freely do what she liked.

If it was like this when I was a child, it goes without saying that it will be even more so when I grow up.

“Even so,” Eriri still didn’t quite understand, “you don’t have to say it like that.”

"This is an unspoken understanding among adults."

"Huh?" Eriri was even more confused.

“They gave me time alone, which means I haven’t been able to spend much time with them.” Just as her parents understand Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kasumigaoka Utaha can also understand their actions and thoughts. “That’s why they said that, to reassure me that even though I haven’t spent enough time with them, they are still very happy.”

Eriri organized the logic in her mind.

Kasumigaoka Utaha enjoys being alone, and her parents respect her wishes and give her space to be alone.

It's also because Kasumigaoka Utaha enjoys focused reading and writing that she can't spend much time with them.

Worried that Kasumigaoka Utaha would feel guilty, her parents deliberately said those things to put her at ease.

"My parents really have it tough..." Eriri sighed, then suddenly realized something, "Wait a minute."

"What's wrong?"

"Can't you just talk it out properly?"

“Say it nicely.” Kasumigaoka Utaha thought for a moment, “Even though you want to be alone and don’t have time to spend with Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad are very happy. Don’t worry about us. Go do what you like.”

"..." Eriri's expression was complicated. "I feel even more guilty now."

"That's exactly what I mean." Kasumigaoka Utaha took another bite of noodles. "It's delicious! How about we eat this again tomorrow?"

"Don't even think about it," Eriri knew Kasumigaoka Utaha's style well. "You'll say the same thing tomorrow, and then it'll be the same thing for seven days in a row."

Eriri, who wasn't good at cooking, honed her culinary skills in this way.

It started off quite well.

The taste of a dish will naturally be a little worse when it is first made.

But Kasumigaoka Utaha isn't picky; she eats it today and wants to eat it again tomorrow.

The second time I made it, it tasted even better, and Eriri could eat it too.

The longer you cook a dish, the better it tastes.

However, once it reaches a certain level, there will basically be no new changes or improvements.

Eriri couldn't stand it.

Then change to a different dish and repeat the process.

When she came to her senses, Eriri had already mastered many dishes.

After finishing her soba noodles, Kasumigaoka Utaha got up and tidied up.

This is also a tacit understanding among adults.

After tidying everything up, Kasumigaoka Utaha sat back down by the kotatsu with Eriri, using the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) as background music, and scribbled something on the table.

New Year's Eve is certainly not a day for busy work, but for creators, the state of mind on New Year's Eve is also a great source of inspiration; any inspiration should be recorded.

Eriri wasn't drawing; she was pondering the plot of "Virtual Heaven."

Once the general outline is determined, the process of filling it in is always arduous, but it also brings an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

As a blurry outline gradually transforms into a clear one, and a completely new world is born, Eriri even feels as if she is a god.

She began to understand some of Kasumigaoka Utaha's happiness.

The sound of temple bells drifted from afar, one hundred and eight tolls to dispel all kinds of troubles and welcome the New Year.

The two, who were each busy with their own things, stopped writing at the same time and looked at each other.

"Hmm..." Eriri opened her mouth.

Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled and said, "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year." Eriri blinked. "Another year has passed."

Looking back, time always flies by; a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

“When I was in school, it felt like I had to go to class today and class tomorrow, and the days went by so slowly.” Eriri rested her chin on her hand. “Now, a project takes at least a few months to complete, and after a busy period, it’s over in a year.”

“When I’m in class, I think about how long it will be before get out of class ends. When I’m working, I think about how much I haven’t done yet. The focus is different, and the feeling is different too.” Kasumigaoka Utaha twirled the pen in her hand. She’s used to using a computer when writing stories, but when organizing her thoughts and inspirations, pen and paper are still more intuitive. “You should have had this feeling before, when you were rushing to meet deadlines.”

“That makes sense,” Eriri recalled those agonizing days. “Every day I would think that if I drew a little bit today, I would eventually finish it, but then the deadline would inexplicably arrive. I would think that I would definitely manage my time better next time, but then the deadline would arrive again. Sometimes I really wondered if I would end up like this in the future, endlessly cycling between procrastination and rushing to meet deadlines.”

“That’s because you never thought about giving up creating,” Kasumigaoka Utaha pointed out, “which is why you’re trapped in this cycle.”

Eriri muttered, "Who would want to give up?"

"I."

"Eh?"

"At first, I just wanted to become an animation producer, and then write while producing." Kasumigaoka Utaha tapped her notebook lightly with the tip of her pen. "But after becoming an animation producer, I suddenly had an idea: this doesn't seem so bad."

"You mean stop creating animation and focus on being an animator?"

"At that time, I was learning to be a producer while searching for new creative directions. When I was exhausted, I would naturally consider giving up one and focusing on the other."

"Compared to struggling creative work, the career prospects for animators are definitely better." Eriri asked curiously, "So what happened to you later...?"

“I looked through my old works and realized something,” Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled. “I have many reasons to strive to become an animator, but there is only one reason to continue creating.”

"One reason can outweigh many reasons?" Eriri grasped at something. "Because... I like it?"

“Yes…” Kasumigaoka Utaha whispered, “I especially like it.”

Chapter 876 Acting as if nothing had happened

Eriri leaned forward slightly, her body trembling with excitement. "Me too."

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked up. "Hmm?"

“I’ve been writing the script for ‘Virtual Heaven’ lately, haven’t I? Of course, it wasn’t easy at first, but after working hard for a while, it’s finally taking shape.” Eriri gestured excitedly. “It’s like a creator god, giving you whatever you want. I’m starting to understand your happiness. It’s really something to like.”

“Ah… um.” Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her mouth. “Yes, that’s how it is.” She paused. “Cherish this feeling, because you’re about to fall into pain.”

"What the heck..." Eriri muttered, "They're already trying to dampen my spirits."

"The story isn't fully developed yet, so you can do whatever you want. But you'll have your headaches when it comes to the integration phase." As for screenwriting, Kasumigaoka Utaha is a true veteran. "Main characters, supporting characters, main plot, side plots—which to cut and which to keep is all a problem. Balancing plot construction and character development..."

"Stop reading it, stop reading it." Eriri shook her head in protest. "Shouldn't you be praising me for doing a good job and cheering me on at a time like this?"

"Even if you say that, you haven't shown me your work." Kasumigaoka Utaha shrugged. "How would I know if you did a good job or not?"

Eriri handed the current progress to Kasumigaoka Utaha, "Here."

"Hmm..." Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced through it briefly. The plot wasn't complicated and was similar to Eriri's initial idea, though there were some differences.

In a future world, technological development has spiraled out of control, giving rise to mechanical life forms with the goal of annihilating humanity.

Humanity suffered repeated defeats and was eventually forced to upload its consciousness to a virtual network, where it continued to evolve in order to regain the ability to reclaim reality—ultimately establishing a virtual heaven.

Many years have passed in this way. Humans have lived and multiplied in the virtual world, generation after generation, and the idea of ​​reclaiming reality has long been forgotten.