How to raise a random guy's wife

There's simply nowhere to sit in the living room now.

Kobayashi Sora found a trash bag, stuffed the waste paper inside, and quickly organized the folders and file bags, making the living room much tidier immediately.

Chapter 10 Empathy

While Kobayashi Sora was busy, Kato Megumi put down her bag and unpacked a bunch of boxes. "Is there any hot water?"

"The water dispenser is over there," Kobayashi Sora pointed in a direction.

Kato Megumi prepared some pet milk powder, soaked the cat food to soften it, and put it in the cat food bowl. When she felt the temperature was about right, she put it on the ground.

The kitten sniffed it closer, hesitated for a moment, then licked it. Its golden eyes lit up, and it began to enjoy its meal.

Is this enough to eat?

“It’s been hungry for too long, so it can’t eat too much the first time,” Kato Megumi explained softly, as if afraid of scaring the kitten that was eating. “Eating too much will cause indigestion.”

Kobayashi Sora found a suitable spot to place the cat litter and cat bed. "Speaking of which, how do I teach it to use the litter box?"

Should I demonstrate it to it?

Just as the kitten finished eating, Kato Megumi picked it up and put it in the litter box, saying, "That's fine."

The kitten scratched around in the litter box, circled twice, and began to let loose. Then it scratched again to erase the traces of its actions.

"He's self-taught," Kobayashi Sora exclaimed.

“Most felines will find a secluded place to relieve themselves and then bury it. This is to avoid revealing their whereabouts and to avoid causing trouble for hunting or escaping predators,” Kato Megumi explained. “It’s kind of an instinct.”

"Looking at it this way, it's not too troublesome." Kobayashi Sora felt much more at ease.

So far, everything is going according to plan.

Except for this cat.

And this girl.

Developments that are out of his control make him feel uneasy.

"The trouble is yet to come," Kato Megumi glanced at the kitten wandering around, "Have you decided on a name?"

"Hmm..." Kobayashi Sora thought for a moment, "Maine?"

"Kobayashi can change his name to human first."

"I've never owned a pet before..."

"Then let's call it 'Mochi' (rice cake)." Kato Megumi waved her hand, "Mochi~"

Rice cake ignored her.

The rice cake didn't realize that this was its name yet. It was busy getting to know its new environment and finally found a small gap, where it crawled in and hid.

"Speaking of rice cakes," Kobayashi Sora suddenly realized, "I've been busy for so long and haven't eaten yet. There are still some vegetables in the fridge, are there any dietary restrictions?"

"Shouldn't they ask me first if I want to stay?"

"Is something urgent?"

"It's not that urgent," Kato Megumi said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was originally planning to go shopping for clothes."

“Then consider this meal as an apology,” Kobayashi Sora said, taking ingredients out of the refrigerator. “You and I have been busy for a little while, so I’ll go with you to the six-day event later and act as your human shopping cart.”

"It's not like we'd be treated like humans," Kato Megumi replied calmly. "We can just go together."

So, what foods should be avoided?

No.

"Favorite dish?"

"It's all fine, just follow the ingredients."

"Then I'll go ahead and improvise."

"I'll help."

The kitchen is small, but it's big enough for two people.

Kobayashi Sora took out a small red sausage and cut it a few times.

"Would you like me to make octopus sausages?"

"Ah."

"I'll take care of the rest."

Kato Megumi slices the sausage, while Kobayashi Sora chops the onions and marinates the chicken thighs with black pepper and cooking wine.

"What should we do with the carrots?" Kato Megumi's voice rang out.

"Just cut it into small pieces like potatoes and broccoli."

"Hmm, where's the rice cooker?"

"Over there, the rice is in the cabinet downstairs."

"found it."

Melt butter in an enameled saucepan, add flour and stir-fry, then pour in milk and stir well to make a white sauce.

Pour oil into a pan and fry the marinated chicken thighs until golden brown on both sides. Then, stir-fry the diced vegetables in the oil in the pan, add two bowls of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in the white sauce and cream, and finally add the prawns and broccoli to thicken the sauce.

While the cream stew is cooking, lightly fry the sliced ​​red sausages; the cut parts will naturally curl into the shape of an octopus.

Preheat the wire mesh grill for grilling fish. Kato Megumi makes an omelet in a small square pan. Kobayashi Sora finds the pickled vegetables she bought earlier and puts them in a small dish.

When everything was placed on the table, it looked quite abundant.

For the two of them.

"I'm starting to eat."

As she began to eat, Kobayashi Sora realized something.

He brought a girl he just met home and cooked and ate with her!?

Kato Megumi looked up. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Kobayashi Sora shook her head and began to recall the events in her mind.

It seems like things have turned out this way without me even realizing it.

“Speaking of which,” Kato Megumi said, glancing at the games, figurines, and light novels in the cabinet by the wall, “I never imagined Kobayashi was an otaku too.”

Doesn't it look like it?

"More like a 'real-life person'," Kato Megumi thought for a moment, "the kind with lots of girlfriends."

puff!

The familiar combination of true damage and critical hits.

"Huh?" Kato Megumi tilted her head. "Isn't that right?"

"Well... I hope what you're saying is true." Kobayashi Sora recalled the several men she had met since coming here, and it seemed that the endings were all similar. "Although I've met quite a few people, the relationships were just so-so."

Do they all know you?

"Although the impression might not be very good," Kobayashi Sora nodded, "we should be considered acquaintances."

“If people find out, even if it's a bad impression, they'll still know,” Kato Megumi said, taking a bite of her octopus sausage. “It's still better than me.”

"what happened to you?"

"Hmm... if we're going by what my friend said, I always give off a weak impression, or rather, I'm easily overlooked..."

Kobayashi Sora found a phrase: "Low presence?"

"That seems to be the case."

Kobayashi Sora looked Kato Megumi up and down. Rice cakes crawled out from the cracks. The figure seemed a little crooked. There was a piece of paper next to the sofa that hadn't been put away. Huh?

Kobayashi Sora finally realized the seriousness of the problem and seemed to find it difficult to focus her attention on Kato Megumi.

It's like the blurry passersby in the background when watching anime.

It's not that they won't see it, but they basically won't pay attention to it, and they might even forget it in the next scene.

Kobayashi Sora asked curiously, "How weak is it?"

“When we were taking graduation photos after junior high school, I went to the restroom and when I came back, they were already taken.” Kato Megumi showed a subtle expression of disappointment, sadness, and resignation, “without anyone noticing that one person was missing.”

Ah, this...

Kobayashi Sora sighed, "How could this happen?"

"Probably because I'm very simple." Kato Megumi lowered her eyes slightly. "My grades are average, I haven't participated in any clubs, and I've never been a class monitor or anything like that."

It's like a kind of loneliness, helplessness, or perhaps... anger, of being detached from the world.

Everything was hidden beneath the girl's calm expression, like the turbulent undercurrents of the deep sea.

“I understand.” Kobayashi Sora put down her chopsticks. “Although it’s impossible to fully empathize, I understand this feeling.”

Chapter 11 Self-satisfaction

"You don't need to force yourself to comfort me." Kato Megumi looked up. "Kobayashi doesn't seem like the type of person who would have a weak presence."

“No, it’s not a matter of presence.” Kobayashi Sora shook her head. “Even though I’m in a crowd, it feels like I’m outside of it. The noise around me seems like it could turn into deathly silence at any moment. Even though I exist in this world, I feel like I’m detached from it, as if I’ll leave this world at any moment. Everything I experience could turn into a dream at any time.”

That's exactly how Kobayashi Sora felt after being transported to this world.

"Um..." Kato Megumi looked a little worried, "It's better to see a doctor as soon as possible."

Kobayashi Sora felt a sudden sense of deflation. "Shouldn't we be saying 'Yes, yes, I feel the same way' right now?"

"Although they're similar, it's not that exaggerated." Kato Megumi bit her lower lip lightly.

"How about..." Kobayashi Sora leaned forward, "...we try to make a change?"

“Even if you say that,” Kato Megumi looked at Kobayashi Sora, “I don’t know what to do.”

His facial features were well-proportioned, neither too tall nor too short, neither too fat nor too thin, just like the human figures he practiced when drawing, standard, but without any outstanding features.