How to raise a random guy's wife

Until mechanical lifeforms invaded the virtual network, forming a virus that wreaked havoc in the virtual paradise.

In order to maintain the stability of the virtual paradise, the AI ​​had no choice but to awaken the legendary, powerful, and omnipotent beings—the players—to fight off the virus.

Players use intelligent AI to summon virtual idols—beings that once had a powerful influence on the internet—to fight against the mechanical virus, reclaim the areas corrupted by the virus, and rebuild the virtual paradise.

In this process, players gradually discover the forgotten truth, activate the long-sealed life factory in reality, forge life to descend into reality, and begin the counterattack to reclaim reality.

This gives rise to a series of classic dramatic conflicts, such as the meaning of life, AI's judgment, human choices, concerted efforts, unavoidable betrayal, and unwavering commitment to one's original aspirations.

“You did a really good job.” Kasumigaoka Utaha looked through the NPC’s character design. Although it was still a sketch, the unique qualities of each character were still impressive. “But I just can’t bring myself to say anything like ‘cheer me on.’”

"what?"

“There’s so much to discuss that you can’t even fully grasp it yourself,” Kasumigaoka Utaha confessed. “It’s similar to my previous trips to sea. There’s so much I want to express, and I end up doing a little bit of everything, which makes each one a little bit lacking.”

“Hmm…” Eriri frowned slightly, “It seems that’s true.”

Recently, she has also had a vague feeling that she can't express what she wants to say well in a story.

Even in a very simple storyline, Eriri has a lot to convey to the players.

If these things were explained in detail, the article would be too long and verbose.

However, if the length is shortened, it cannot be expressed clearly, leaving people feeling confused or even unable to understand.

If you cut out some of the content you want to express, the story will seem too thin.

“This is a common situation.” Kasumigaoka Utaha expressed her understanding. “Everyone has this desire to express themselves, so there’s no need to take it to heart. The key is how to handle it. Appropriate white space can better express what you want to express, and can even allow players to generate more content that you never thought of from what was never expressed.”

"Hmm... ah?"

"Simply put, if you express everything you want to say, then players don't need to think, and there's no thinking process," Kasumigaoka Utaha pointed out. "If you leave some content for players to think about, then players will come up with more ideas."

Eriri nodded, seemingly understanding, "It's like when someone finishes speaking, you just need to listen; if you stop halfway through, the listener will..."

Her voice stopped abruptly.

"That's roughly the feeling," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, pointing to a passage on the paper. "Like this..."

It was past midnight, but the two were getting more and more excited during their discussion.

When they came to their senses, they looked at each other with a hint of helplessness in their eyes.

“We’ve been chatting for so long…” Eriri slumped down next to the kotatsu.

“Still busy working on New Year’s Eve,” Kasumigaoka Utaha peeled an orange. “I’ll go ask Sora for overtime pay later.”

"So it's just that the Sky Blue Society gave it to you." Eriri stretched. "Only we would be busy with something like this on New Year's Eve."

Kasumigaoka Utaha tasted a segment of orange, then shared half with Eriri, saying, "Not necessarily."

“Who else could it be…” Eriri took a bite of the slice, and her little face immediately scrunched up. “Kasumigaoka Utaha!”

So sour!

She had just been grateful to Kasumigaoka Utaha, but she never expected that Kasumigaoka Utaha would share the sour oranges with her.

They even pretended to be nonchalant.

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Kasumigaoka Utaha ate another slice, her expression instantly contorting.

"You were faking it all along!" Eriri angrily pounced on her. "You gloomy woman!"

"Stop fooling around... watch out for the tea!"

-

"This is the general outline of the creative plan for now," Akane Kousaka said, tossing the notebook aside. "Well... I'm not sure how it will turn out when it's actually implemented."

“Finally finished.” Machida Sonoko breathed a sigh of relief and put down her pen. “Why did I have to do this on New Year’s Eve?”

With no one else at home, Akane Akasaka sat in a rather unrestrained posture, saying, "What else can I do? You won't let me drink."

"Hmm...it's not impossible."

"Huh?" Akane Kousaka perked up immediately. "Really?"

"Although drinking alcohol is bad for your health, being depressed has an even greater impact on it," Machida Sonoko smiled. "It's New Year's Eve today, so have a drink if you want, but in moderation..."

Chapter 877 A Little Drink on New Year's Eve

Before Machida Sonoko could finish speaking, Akane Akasaka got up to get some sake.

Shaking her head helplessly, Machida Sonoko prepared a few simple dishes to accompany the drinks. By the time she brought them to the table, Akane Akasaka had already drunk two cups.

"You have absolutely no understanding of the word 'appropriate amount,' do you?"

"This is just the beginning." Akane Kousaka took a couple of bites of food. "Wow, Kouen, your cooking is absolutely amazing!"

Akane Akasaka is a completely different person after drinking alcohol.

Machida Sonoko reached for the bottle, but Akane Akasaka had already poured her a glass.

In order to control Akane Akasaka's drinking, Sonoko Machida herself set an example by not drinking alcohol.

Now, after just one glass of wine, the feeling comes right up.

"I really need to have a drink~" Akane Akasaka sighed contentedly, "It finally feels a bit like New Year's."

Machida Sonoko ate something to fill her stomach and then asked, "What does the New Year really mean to you?"

"Drinking alone," Akane Akasaka replied casually. "I can't be thinking about how to make up stories and draw manga on New Year's Eve, can I?"

"You didn't drink it last year either."

Akane Kousaka snapped at her, "That's because you wouldn't let me drink it."

“It’s my fault,” Machida Sonoko said, her cheeks puffing out slightly, “I made your New Year’s Eve incomplete.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Akane Kousaka raised her glass, “It’s more complete now.”

Machida Sonoko clinked glasses with her, "What do you mean?"

"I don't like New Year's Eve, um... I don't like celebrating the New Year."

"why?"

“Even if I don’t have many friends, I know very well that everyone is busy during the New Year, doing spring cleaning, decorating their homes, visiting relatives and friends and such.” Akane Akasaka swirled her wine glass.

"Yeah, so what?"

“Then there’s no time to read manga.” Akane Akasaka muttered as she poured a drink. “Of course, there are some people who do read manga at this time, but I mean, most people are busy celebrating the holiday, so even if they don’t see it, they’ll know.”

That's right.

“When people who usually read my manga suddenly stop reading them, it feels like I’ve been abandoned.” Akane Kousaka drew a large circle with her arm. “I’ve been abandoned by so many people, just like when I wrote ‘The Cardinal of Gotanda’.”

Machida Sonoko lowered her eyelids slightly. She knew that the incident had a great impact on Akane Akasaka, but she didn't expect it to be this big.

"So on New Year's Eve, I'll have a good drink," Akane Akasaka said, raising her glass, "and then sleep soundly until dawn!"

"There's no need to be so pessimistic. It's just during the Lunar New Year period. People will still watch it afterward."

“I know.” Akane Akasaka gulped down a glass of wine. “But you know, I’m a creator, and I spend most of my life creating. My connections with others are mostly through my works and my readers.”

Akane Akasaka analyzed her own feelings, thinking, "As long as there are people watching my work, I still belong to this world."

“When no one is watching,” Akane Kousaka’s finger twirled in the air, “I flew away.”

“Your state is dangerous…” Machida Sonoko was worried about Akane Kousaka’s mental state. “That’s why I advised you to find someone you like and get married. You don’t have your own life, which is why you can so easily fall into the predicament you created for yourself.”

"You're really enthusiastic about persuading me to get married."

“Because that’s just how it is,” Machida Sonoko explained with an example. “Take Sora Ao, for instance. If you’re like him, with your lover on your left and your child on your right, watching the Kohaku Uta Gassen on New Year’s Eve while eating soba noodles, taking care of your child while secretly being intimate with your lover, where would you find the time to think about any work?”

“That’s true, but I don’t have the luck of Sora Ao.” Akane Akasaka took a couple more bites of food. “For people like us with some mental issues, it’s already hard enough to live our own lives well. Where would we find so much time to find a suitable person to marry? If we don’t get married, New Year’s Eve is just a little hard to get through. But if we marry the wrong person, then every day will be hard to get through.”

Machida Sonoko was speechless for a moment. Akane Akasaka's words made so much sense that she had no reply.

Most importantly...

“You’re not even married yet,” Akane Akasaka looked up, “and you have the nerve to advise me.”

“I do want to get married,” Machida Sonoko confessed. “But I just haven’t found the right person yet.”

"Don't even talk about suitable candidates, you don't even have a girl you like."

"Are you determined to hurt each other?"

“I totally understand your situation. At first, you focused on work and didn’t have time for dating. Later, you gradually got used to living alone and started resisting others entering your life, and you didn’t want to date anymore,” Akane Akasaka explained. “This kind of life continued, and it didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with it. Until one day, someone around you got married, and you realized that you had been single for a long time. You thought it was time for you to get married too, but after looking around, there were no suitable people. You didn’t have the courage to meet new people, and you didn’t have the time to cultivate a relationship. You longed for love that grew over time, but you didn’t have time to spend with others for long periods of time. You wanted to get married quickly, but you didn’t believe in short-term impulses. As a result, you remained single and even started advising others to get married early so they wouldn’t repeat your mistakes.”

Machida Sonoko's gaze turned hostile. "If you keep doing this, I won't let you drink anymore."

Akane Kousaka quickly downed another drink, "Don't take your anger out on those who are in the same boat..."

Are you in the same situation?

"No, that's not it. I simply don't want to get married."

"Hey!"

“I’ve depicted many different romances in my stories.” Akane Akasaka became a little more serious when talking about her work. “Thrilling, beautiful and heartwarming, complicated and painful… I have too many fantasies about love and marriage. Of course, I know that those fantasies are not real, but I don’t want to shatter those fantasies. I can shed tears for other people’s love, but I don’t want my heart to be broken by my own love.”

"You deserve to be single."

"Aren't you still single?"

Machida Sonoko: "...Let's drink, let's drink."

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Akane Akasaka poured herself a glass and then poured one for Sonoko Machida. “Everyone has their own way of living.”

“But two people can live two different lives.” Machida Sonoko stared at the clear wine. “Those are different lives.”

“Aren’t we living together now, just the two of us… eh?” Akane Akasaka seemed to suddenly realize something.

Chapter 878 Bold Ideas

Akane Akane looked Machida Sonoko up and down, a smile that was clearly not innocent on her lips.

The woman in front of me, Machida Sonoko, was wearing a loose white T-shirt, the hem of which covered half of her thighs.

Because she wears professional attire at work, Machida Sonoko's attire at home is mostly casual.

A very thorough kind.