How to raise a random guy's wife

“That’s not how it is,” Eriri argued, “when we’re at home…”

Kasumigaoka Utaha added, "He beats her even harder at home."

"...No, I didn't."

“That won’t do.” Kasumigaoka’s mother raised her hand. “She won’t change like this. It has to be like this…” She swung her fist rapidly. “That’s how you hit her at high speed.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha: "...Mom?"

Eriri blinked, her gaze towards Kasumigaoka Utaha clearly filled with eagerness.

With slightly reddened eyes, Kasumigaoka's father stepped out of the study and saw his wife's actions. "What are you doing?"

Kasumigaoka's mother waved her little fist, "I'm teaching Eriri some little tricks that she can use on Utaha."

Kasumigaoka's father asked, puzzled, "Why reward her?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha: "...Dad?"

What other surprises do you have that your daughter doesn't know about?

"Ahem!" Kasumigaoka's mother glared at her husband. "Alright, alright, you haven't eaten yet, have you? We've been chatting for so long without realizing it. I'll go make you some food."

Eriri broke free from Kasumigaoka Utaha's embrace. "Auntie, I'll help too."

Kasumigaoka's mother: "Hmm?"

Eriri bit her lower lip lightly, "Mom...Mom."

Chapter 980 Learn Something Good

"Getting married..." In the office, Kobayashi Megumi looked at Kobayashi Sora beside her, "It should be okay now, right?"

Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha also turned their gazes toward Kobayashi Sora.

Faced with the expectant gazes of the two, Kobayashi Sora answered truthfully, "It is not legally recognized at present."

Eriri murmured, "I see..."

“Our relationship doesn’t need legal recognition.” Kasumigaoka Utaha held Eriri’s hand. “It’s enough that we acknowledge it.”

Eriri nodded gently, "Yes, and we can also get married in Dad's hometown."

“This is also a good option. Although it’s not legally recognized, some cities and regions can issue certificates,” Kobayashi Sora added. “With this certificate, you can receive the same benefits and treatment. When a family member’s signature is needed for illness, hospitalization, or surgery, the other spouse can sign the application; when the housing is limited to family residences, both spouses have the right to reside there; in the event of a sudden illness or accident, if one spouse suddenly loses consciousness, judgment, or capacity for action, the other spouse can exercise rights equivalent to a legal spouse; the insurance beneficiary can be the same-sex spouse designated by the policyholder, etc.—However, these only happen under specific circumstances. The benefits that are more relevant to daily life are applying for a spousal allowance from the company, which can provide various family benefits.”

"A certificate..." Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes lit up. "Is it difficult to obtain?"

Kobayashi Sora shook her head. "It's not difficult. The procedures are very simple. The fee is 10,000 yen. I just helped Sister Zhu Yin and Sister Yuan Zi with it before."

"That's good... Wait a minute!" Kobayashi Sora said casually, almost catching Eriri off guard. "They've already finished?!"

"Yes, because it's very convenient in many ways, especially in terms of taxation, so Sister Yuanzi asked me to help her with the process a long time ago."

“Those two…” Kasumigaoka Utaha recalled the moments Machida Sonoko and Akasaka Akane spent together, “They were so good at hiding it.”

“It wasn’t exactly hiding it,” Kobayashi Megumi recalled. “It wasn’t something I needed to specifically tell others.”

“That’s true.” Eriri nodded. “I just didn’t expect them to progress so quickly.”

"To be honest, we didn't expect this either," Kobayashi Sora said, somewhat surprised. "I thought you wouldn't think about marriage for a long time."

Kobayashi Megumi asked curiously, "What happened?"

"Oh, that?" Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled as she mentioned it, "When I brought her home..."

"Don't say it!" Eriri hurriedly covered Kasumigaoka Utaha's mouth.

It's so awkward to propose out of competitiveness.

And it's not romantic at all!

Seeing Eriri's reaction, Kobayashi Megumi was slightly taken aback. "Eri proposed to me?"

"Huh?" Eriri froze. "How did you know?"

"It really is true." Kobayashi Sora looked Eriri up and down, completely unexpected that Eriri would make the first move.

Eriri stammered, "This...back then...that..."

Kobayashi Megumi murmured, "Such a competitive spirit~"

“I see,” Kobayashi Sora said, understanding dawning on her. “I had overlooked that.”

"How did you all know?" Eriri hid in Kasumigaoka Utaha's arms. "I didn't say anything, how did you all know everything?"

It's a little scary.

Megumi Kobayashi explained, "If Utaha had proposed first, you wouldn't have reacted this way."

"Right...right." Eriri imagined what she would do if Utaha proposed and she was asked about it. She would either be shy or boastful.

“It wasn’t Shiyu, it was naturally you,” Kobayashi Sora added. “As for your motivation, Shiyu was the one who came to you when you confessed. Given your personality, you must have thought for a long time about how to win back that confession.”

Kobayashi Megumi concluded, "The only thing that can surpass a confession of love is a marriage proposal."

Eriri looked at Kobayashi Megumi, "Megumi, you really are..."

"No, it's just that I know you a little better." Kobayashi Megumi smiled. "After all, you're my own niece."

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed, "You should learn something from Sora."

Eriri glared at Kobayashi Sora, "It's all your fault."

"Uncle, it's me..."

Eriri snapped, "Shut up!"

Boom, boom, boom.

There was a knock on the door.

Eriri hurriedly left Kasumigaoka Utaha's embrace, and Kobayashi Sora responded, "Please come in."

"I've finally finished drawing the first chapter!" Izumi Hashima came in with the manuscript, followed by Mayu Sagara.

Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri in the office, Sagara Mayu blinked. "Am I disturbing you?" She thought it was some kind of internal meeting of Kasumigaoka Eri.

"No!" Eriri answered loudly, her expression somewhat like she was trying to hide something.

Bo Island, upon arriving at sea, expressed skepticism about her answer, suggesting, "How about we come back another time?"

"We've finished talking," Kasumigaoka Utaha changed the subject. "Was it that manga from before?"

"Mmm." Hashima took the manuscript out of the file bag.

Everyone flipped through the pages together. The twenty-odd pages told a simple and refreshing story. The protagonist was only nine centimeters tall, and there were various details that matched it, such as a grasshopper delivering newspapers, riding a beetle to go out, watching the sunrise while perched on a bird's back, and having a picnic with a peanut in hand. These quirky yet reasonable scenes made the whole story very interesting. There were also common little troubles in life, such as not being able to move furniture, raising pets, and the hardship of climbing mountains, which added a realistic touch to the story.

After briefly browsing the stories, everyone picked up a few that interested them and examined them carefully.

"What do you think?" Mayu Sagara eagerly asked everyone's opinion.

"The structure is complete and the plot flows smoothly," Kobayashi Sora said, pointing to the last page. "In particular, the connection to the preceding text here is the finishing touch."

"Although I was already familiar with the content, seeing the manga was a completely different experience." Megumi Kobayashi smiled gently. "The adorable characters are cute, and the simple story is heartwarming and touching, making one yearn for it involuntarily."

"The story isn't particularly outstanding," Kasumigaoka Utaha said frankly, "but when combined with the setting and visuals, it has an excellent emotional impact."

Eriri frowned slightly. "Hmm... I feel like... something's missing."

Bo Island, while out at sea, pressed for an answer, asking, "Is there anything that's poorly drawn?"

“The drawing is indeed not very good, but it’s not bad…” Eriri held up the original drawing and examined it in the sunlight. “That’s it!”

Chapter 981 Extraordinary Talent

Hashima looked at the manuscript in Eriri's hand as he sailed out to sea, "Light?"

“It’s all about color.” Eriri adjusted the angle of the original manuscript. “Like this picture, because the various elements are quite complex among the grass, it looks a bit messy at first glance—but what if we add color?”

Bo Island blinked as sunlight shone through the original manuscript, illuminating the black and white comic in her eyes, gradually revealing warm colors: "Green grass, orange fruit, brown tree stumps, orange-red hair, fair skin..."

Just imagining it in my mind, I could almost smell the earth and grass, and hear the faint, distant sounds of the silent forest.

"Mmm." Megumi Kobayashi nodded. "It definitely feels like the appeal has been greatly enhanced. With color, the characters are also cuter."

"Conversely, the time required for painting will increase significantly, and the printing cost will also increase significantly." Kobayashi Sora was thinking about more practical issues. "If you want to paint a beautiful color painting, flat coloring alone is not enough. Without flat coloring, the production time will be longer, updates will be slower, and the artwork will not be attractive enough."

"I feel fine," Eriri calculated in her mind, "It won't take long."

"Don't use your speed to measure other people's speed," Kasumigaoka Utaha reminded her. "Besides, there's also time needed to design the plot."

"The plot..." Eriri thought for a moment, "There really isn't enough time. Even monthly updates aren't enough. How about we consider half-yearly updates for a while?"

“That’s something only a master can do…” Hashima Izumi picked up a manuscript. “But as Eriri said, if you color each one, the overall atmosphere will come through immediately.”

Kobayashi Sora was looking for a suitable solution. "RER has an online website, so we don't need to worry about printing costs for the time being. As for coloring, we can find a suitable assistant to ensure the update speed, but the effect may not be ideal."

“I feel like we’ve talked about this before,” Kobayashi Megumi said. “Should we try the same solution again?”

“The previous solution,” Mayu Sagara immediately thought of the answer, “Mononoke?”

“That’s right,” Kobayashi Megumi looked towards the sea off Hashima, “How about we just make an animation?”

Bo Island's eyes widened in surprise as he went out to sea. "Huh? Is that okay?"

"Hmm..." Kobayashi Megumi was even more surprised by the reaction to the trip to the island of Hashima. "I'd like to ask you why you feel it's not okay?"

“I’ve already produced an animation before, which involved a lot of resources. Utaha was busy with everything, Eriri worked overtime a lot for the key animation, Mayu put aside her own projects to help, and even Sora got involved…” Hashima Izumi replied, “Can we do the animation directly this time?”

Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, puzzled, "Wasn't the final result pretty good?"

"But the process was quite complicated..."

Kobayashi Sora tapped her forehead lightly. "I understand. You feel that you weren't well prepared before, which is why you encountered so many problems, right?"

Bo Island nodded, "If we had prepared better, we wouldn't have had to work so hard and overtime later."

The most stressful time for Hashima was during the final episode's plot. With less and less time left, she still couldn't decide on the ending. In the end, she was able to finish it thanks to Kasumigaoka Utaha's encouragement, and only then did she catch up with the schedule at the last minute.

If she had been better prepared and decided on the ending earlier, the timeframe wouldn't have been so tight.

“You’re overthinking it,” Kobayashi Sora said bluntly. “Animation production is a labor-intensive industry. All sorts of problems are normal. It’s rare to have a smooth journey.”

As a seasoned otaku, Eriri is quite familiar with this: "Not releasing a recap episode is considered a success."