How to raise a random guy's wife

“You have a stroke,” Machida Sonoko said irritably as she helped Akane Akasaka up. “That’s a different concept from being sick and weak.”

I used to feel pretty weak when I went out to sea to Po Island, but now I suddenly feel confident.

"Haha!" Akane Kousaka supported Sonoko Machida with one hand and put the other on her hip. "Eriri, I won."

"Huh?" Eriri, supporting Kasumigaoka Utaha, pointed at Akane Kousaka. "Who gave you that confidence? You're not much better than me!"

"Am I crazy?" Akane Kousaka replied matter-of-factly. "Having a debuff similar to yours just means I'm stronger than you, right?"

"Gulp... I..." Eriri protested, "I'm sick too!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed, "Don't you want to listen to what you're saying?"

"Let's have a match!" Lin Lan excitedly raised her little hand. "At this time, we need a fair and just match to decide who wins and who loses!"

Kobayashi Sora readily chimed in, "So, how should we compete?"

"I'll be the referee," Ran Kobayashi said, pointing to the other side. "Whoever swims to that side first wins!"

Kobayashi Sora added, "I'll be the lifeguard."

"Alright!" Eriri puffed out her chest and raised her head. "Let's have a competition!"

Akane Kousaka retorted without backing down, "You'd better not regret this."

Kasumigaoka Utaha astutely remarked, "This is the first time I've seen such passionate banter between noobs."

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..." Ran Kobayashi counted, "Seven contestants, please take your positions!"

Sagara Mayu was taken aback. "Me too."

Kobayashi Megumi cooperatively chose a swimming lane, saying, "Ranran, keep an eye on Mommy, okay?"

"Go, Mom!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha chose a different lane, "The referee is already biased before it even starts."

"Hopefully we won't be last." I'm a little nervous about going out to sea from Po Island.

The contestants took their positions, and with a wave of her hand, Xiaolin Lan set off together.

The fastest was Kobayashi Megumi. Her consistent training paid off, and like an elegant mermaid, she quickly pulled away from the others and reached the finish line first.

"Mom is so amazing! First place!" Xiaolin Lan happily hugged her mother, who was sitting on the edge of the pool, and gave her a big kiss.

Second place goes to Machida Sonoko, who is the exclusive manager for Akane Kousaka and Utaha Kasumigaoka. Her stamina from constant travel should not be underestimated.

Next up is Mayu Sagara, who frequently goes shopping and attends various exhibitions, plus she faces relatively little resistance...

Mayu Sagara sat by the pool and was delighted to find that she was third.

Won.

Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned out of the pool, shook her hair, and the waves surged around her.

Sagara Mayu: "..." She lost.

After a short while, I reached out and touched the edge of the pool before sitting down.

Because of the high buoyancy, she swam very easily, but unfortunately she wasn't good at sports and her speed was average.

Looking up at the pool, only Akane Kousaka and Eriri were still splashing around the most.

Water splashed everywhere, but the speed was pitifully slow.

The more Eriri tried to go faster, the less standard her movements became, and her stamina quickly ran out.

Seeing Eriri getting slower and slower, Akane Kousaka smiled happily.

Then I choked on the water.

Eriri, seizing the opportunity, wanted to surpass him.

Then I got a cramp.

Kobayashi Sora had been watching them closely. Sensing something was wrong, she immediately threw out a swimming ring.

Before he even went into the water, Machida Sonoko and Kasumigaoka Utaha had already set off and rescued the two of them.

Akane and Eriri spat out two mouthfuls of water, their gazes meeting with a mixture of schadenfreude and mutual sympathy.

"You're quite something," Akane Kousaka coughed twice, "to actually come up with such a scheme."

“I didn’t expect you to turn the tables on me,” Eriri said, her voice trembling as she frowned. “It was my carelessness.”

Kobayashi Sora: "..." It seems there's nothing seriously wrong.

Chapter 990 The Time of Victory

Ran Kobayashi never expected that her impulsive suggestion of a competition would have such serious consequences, and she tearfully worried about Eriri and Akane Kousaka.

Completely losing their desire to play, Kobayashi Ran and Kobayashi Sora bought drinks and snacks together, wanting to take care of Akane and Eriri.

Eriri and Akane frantically comforted her for a while, repeatedly explaining that what had just happened had nothing to do with Ran Kobayashi. They even jumped into the pool and swam twice to prove that they were alright before Ran Kobayashi cheered up again.

Exhausted, Akane and Eriri wrapped themselves in blankets and collapsed on the recliners, truly realizing the hardships of raising children.

"Kurao and Megumi have had it tough too..." Eriri sighed. "I feel exhausted after just a short while."

"Have you ever thought," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, offering a snack to Eriri's mouth, "that they're not as stupid as you?"

Eriri ate the snacks fiercely, "Is this how you take care of people?"

Why is it even involving personal attacks?

"It seems you still need someone to take care of you," Kasumigaoka Utaha chuckled. "Shall I ask Ranran to come and help out?"

"You dare!" Eriri snatched the drink from Kasumigaoka Utaha's hand in dissatisfaction. "You'd better leave me alone."

"you sure?"

“Of course.” Eriri said expectantly, “It’s much more comfortable to watch you struggle in the water while drinking your beverage and eating snacks than to have you bothering me.”

"Alright, I'll grant your wish." Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled slightly and gracefully leaped into the pool.

Eriri was just about to admire Kasumigaoka Utaha's hard work in the pool when she saw Kasumigaoka Utaha grab onto the swimming ring on the surface of the water, leisurely lying on it and drifting with the current, and even throwing her a flying kiss.

Eriri: "......" Damn it!

Akane Akasaka didn't have Sonoko Machida by her side either; she only choked on some water and was fine after a while.

Machida Sonoko rarely goes out to play, so there's no need to keep an eye on her all the time.

Besides, Akane Kousaka has Eriri, who is in an even worse situation than her, so she's not exactly alone.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's leisure time was short-lived, as Machida Sonoko ripped her swimming ring off, and the two splashed each other in the water, dragging Hashima Izumi and Sagara Mayu into the fray as well.

Akane Akasaka suddenly spoke up, "White Album is very good."

Eriri was taken aback. "Did you think of this because you saw them having so much fun?"

"Your thought process remains unchanged."

"You're the one who's talking nonsense!"

"His ability to shirk responsibility remains unparalleled."

Yinglili: "..."

"I had a lot of fun."

"Happy?" Eriri turned her head and looked at her incredulously. "Is the game you're playing the same one that I helped create?"

Akane Kousaka gave her a disapproving look. "Nonsense."

"Then why are you happy..." Eriri clenched her right fist and tapped her left hand, suddenly realizing, "You're sick."

"I had a stroke."

I mean you're mentally ill.

"Otherwise, where do you think the problem with a stroke lies?"

“What I mean is,” Eriri twirled her finger next to her head, “that kind of thing requires seeing a psychologist.”

"I've noticed that your way of speaking is starting to resemble Shiyu's."

Eriri's expression froze. "You're imagining things."

“You should have the same experience. Consumers and creators have different perspectives.” Akane Akasaka steered the conversation back on track. “Most of the time, creators find it difficult to simply enjoy the fun their work brings. They will unconsciously think about the content related to creation. The plot’s development, the development of events, the changes in emotions, the design of the plot, the control of the pacing, whether it is condescending commentary, comparison and reflection at the same level, or even admiration and amazement, can greatly damage the game experience.”

“The best experience should be to be completely immersed in it, to enjoy different lives in excellent works, and to empathize with the characters.” Eriri sighed. “But the creators are too familiar with the design of the story structure. When the work just begins to build the atmosphere, they can see through the creators’ intentions. When everything develops according to their expectations, the surprise and shock that should have been enjoyed will be greatly reduced.”

"So when I realized that the question I was considering had changed from 'how should Utaha design the subsequent plot' to 'how should Haruki reconcile with herself,' I felt a long-lost sense of surprise," Akane Kousaka chuckled. "The kind of surprise I only felt when I played a game for the first time."

Eriri stared at Akane Kousaka in disbelief. She knew the weight of this assessment, which was why she couldn't believe it.

But Akane Kousaka's smile wasn't fake.

This forced Eriri to believe it.

After a brief moment of confusion, Eriri laughed happily, "You didn't even think much of Utaha back then. How does it feel to be defeated by someone you once rejected?"

"Defeat?" Akane Kousaka raised an eyebrow. "Who told you I was defeated by her?"

"You just experienced a long-lost surprise in the game."

"Did she make the game all by herself?"

She wrote the script all by herself.

"The script is indeed good, but it's just good." Akane Kousaka waved her hand. "If it were written as a light novel, it would only be a barely passable niche work."

Eriri was furious. "What do you mean?!"

"The almost torturous plot lacks necessary appeal; compared to the pain, the sweetness in the story is pitifully scarce. What keeps this meager sweetness lingering in the player's heart, becoming the driving force that sustains them to continue, is your CG. Those beautiful scenes are unforgettable; even while experiencing pain, players cannot forget the past sweetness," Akane Akasaka explained. "To express the theme, many plot developments are relatively deliberate. It must have been Megumi who made this deliberateness feel completely absent, right? And the intricate routes, the fragmented multi-perspective narrative that is complex yet coherent—only Sora Ao could design all that in such a short time. As for the music, which plays a decisive role in creating the atmosphere, Kasumi Utako is completely clueless about it."

You mean...?

“In terms of creative work, I can still easily crush any one of you.” Akane Akasaka’s eyes shone with satisfaction and excitement. “But you have surpassed me. Congratulations.”

I feel gratified by their growth and excited about their future.

Eriri jumped to her feet. She had been working hard for this victory for nine years, so hard that she had even forgotten her original goal of defeating Akane Kousaka.

Then victory came.