How to raise a random guy's wife

"Hmm..." Faced with Kobayashi Sora's question, Kato Megumi hesitated for a moment, "I think I'll have black coffee today."

"Oh~"

"It's not because I'm afraid of gaining weight."

"I didn't say that."

"You've already shown it... Hey?" Kato Megumi tugged at Kobayashi Sora's sleeve. "Why is everyone looking at us?"

"Hmm?" Kobayashi Sora looked up at the three people with unfriendly gazes. "What, where were you talking about?"

Chapter 123 Origin Unknown

"It's nothing," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, crossing her arms. "It's just that I feel there are two people with different art styles, so I'm trying to find a way to unify them."

"Megumi," Eriri asked, "how are you feeling?"

"Hmm... I think the setting is very well thought out."

"I see..." Eriri had a look on her face that said, "I should have known better than to ask."

"Kobayashi," Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow, "what do you think?"

“Well…” Kobayashi Sora put down the menu. “This kind of scriptwriting that deviates from the original type midway through, that is, the kind of plot twist, might have been okay in the last era, but for commercial works these days, it has become a taboo that cannot be violated.”

Despite its packaging featuring cute anime girls, the game is a mix of battle and horror. On the surface, it's a youthful school romance, but it ends up with a happy ending. The adorable magical girl character suddenly turns on her head, and the peaceful rural life unexpectedly transforms into a battle royale...

Not everyone can accept this kind of unexpected turn of events.

Kasumigaoka Utaha started shaking her leg, "So that means it's not okay."

“I’m referring to commercial works, while this is a game created by the fan community, which is generally cheaper and reflects the personal preferences of the creators. There are no taboos, so it’s fine,” Kobayashi Sora added. “Besides, I’m the producer, not the director, so my opinion is not important.”

"How do you manage to say so much yet make it feel like you haven't said anything at all?" Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at Kobayashi Sora for a while, then turned to Aki Tomoya and asked, "Tomoya-kun?"

“My name is Tomoya…” Aki Tomoya corrected himself habitually, “I think this will be very interesting.”

Eriri stared at the outline. "The first female lead was a sickly younger sister in her past life, and she's a classmate in this life. And that last line of dialogue... it all seems to have yandere traits. You're really good at this."

Kobayashi Sora looked at Kato Megumi, "Now the pressure is on your side."

"Eh?"

“Because you’re going to play both Xunli and Liuli in the script,” Kasumigaoka Utaha added. “That was my plan when I started writing.”

"Huh?" Kato Megumi looked at Kobayashi Sora for help, "I have to play a classmate, a great-grandmother, and a sickly younger sister all at the same time?"

“Take it slow,” Kobayashi Sora encouraged. “You have to believe in Sawamura’s abilities.”

Eriri retorted, annoyed, "How about you share some of your confidence with me?"

"So..." Kasumigaoka Utaha steered the conversation back on track, "This is the final draft, is that alright?"

Kobayashi Sora shrugged. Just as agreed before, he was the producer who determined the progress, while Aki Tomoya was the director who determined the content.

The director is now remaining silent.

"Rinri-kun?" Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned, and the frequency of her leg shaking under the table gradually increased.

“…I’m sorry.” Aki Tomoya let out a sigh of relief. “Give me a little more time to draw a conclusion.”

"Why?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's face was almost expressionless.

"Well, although the content is great, exciting, and perfect, but..."

"But... what?" Kasumigaoka Utaha pressed.

“Uh, well…” Aki Tomoya opened his mouth, “I… I don’t know either.”

"...Well then, let's keep the conclusion to ourselves for today." Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyelids lowered slightly.

Aki Tomoya apologized in a low voice, "I'm sorry."

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed softly and rose to leave her seat.

Besides the fatigue from intense creative work, something else seemed to appear on her face, making her eyes appear somewhat dim.

Eriri was taken aback. In her opinion, there was nothing wrong with the project, but Kasumigaoka Utaha's clean and decisive departure made her start to doubt her judgment.

"You're only eating this small bite?" Kobayashi Sora said, looking at the small piece that Kato Megumi had taken.

"One bite is enough." Kato Megumi put a small piece of toast with pretty red beans into her mouth, her cherry lips slightly pursed. "Mmm, it's very sweet."

“Indeed.” Kobayashi Sora took a bite, the crispy toast making a soft crunching sound, the soft red beans with the sweetness of condensed milk, which, after being neutralized by the toast, became less cloying.

"I mean..." Eriri felt incredibly full even though she hadn't eaten much. "Shouldn't you guys tone it down a bit?"

Kato Megumi blinked. "Hmm?"

"We agreed to each do our own thing." Kobayashi Sora finished her toast in a few bites. "Rinya is in charge of the content, and I'll be in charge of the progress—do you want me interfering while you're drawing?"

"Don't you have any?"

"Uh... the comics are an exception."

"Whatever you want." Eriri also got up and left.

“Well then, like I just said,” Kobayashi Sora patted Aki Tomoya on the shoulder, “whatever the outcome, a week should be enough to make a decision according to the schedule, right?”

“…Hmm.” Aki Tomoya responded in a low voice, “Kora, actually I can’t find any obvious problems. The younger sister character and the yandere attribute are both very appealing to me. This is Kasumi Utako’s first legendary work, and tens of thousands of fans will be eagerly anticipating it, myself included. However, I always feel that something is wrong… The problem isn’t with the legendary genre, reincarnation, or time travel; it’s not that those simple and obvious eye-catching elements are problematic, but rather that something more fundamental is wrong…”

"Then take your time to think about it." Kobayashi Sora and Kato Megumi got up and left. "Sometimes, trusting your intuition isn't a bad thing."

“Kuōshō…” Aki Tomoya looked at him, “I didn’t expect you to trust me so much…”

"Rinya, you know my personality," Kobayashi Sora said bluntly, "If there's still no result by the deadline..."

"They weren't as easy to talk to as they are now, were they?"

"Yes."

Leaving the restaurant, Kato Megumi thought of Kasumigaoka Utaha's outline, "Speaking of which, reincarnation and time travel don't happen in reality, but they sound really interesting."

"Actually, there are quite a few types like this."

"Huh? Do you have some at home too?"

"If we're talking about reincarnation, then 'Kuon no Kizuna' from the last century is considered a hardcore work that's different from typical bishoujo games." Kobayashi Sora searched her memory. "If we're talking about time travel, then 'Steins;Gate' is a classic among classics."

"The last century?" Kato Megumi tilted her head. "It feels like so long ago."

"Actually, it's only been a little over ten years, and there's also an upgraded and remastered version of 'Kuon no Kizuna -THEORIGIN-', so there's no need to worry about the art style." Kobayashi Sora chuckled. "However, both of these processes are quite lengthy."

"It's okay..."

Chapter 124 Memory Erasure

The opening of Steins;Gate is different from the games Megumi Kato has played before. Instead of a beautiful girl popping out, there is a series of incomprehensible monologues.

"It feels..." Kato Megumi looked at the screen, "Is this what they call chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?"

Before Kobayashi Sora could speak, the voiceover had already started playing.

I am simply stating the truth here, and this is by no means some delusional fantasy stemming from adolescent delusions.

"Eh—?"

“Well,” Kobayashi Sora chuckled, “that’s the effect.”

"It feels like I've been seen through," Kato Megumi remarked. "It's definitely different from the games I used to play."

"This sense of novelty is a blissful experience for game beginners."

"I see..." Kato Megumi wanted to say something, but seeing Kobayashi Sora answer the phone, she silently paused the game.

"Shibuya, what's wrong?" Kobayashi Sora asked.

“That’s right,” Shibuya Kanon’s voice came from the other end of the phone, “We have a new member joining us today.”

"Congratulations."

"But because I couldn't be in the center position, I withdrew again."

"Ok?"

"She's really amazing, she even has experience in the entertainment industry, and I really want her to join us," Shibuya Kanon said hesitantly. "So... I wanted to ask if you have any good ideas..."

"I see." Kobayashi Sora tilted her head and held the phone between her fingers. "What's her name?"

"Peaceful and Beautiful Violet".

"Hmm...Found her." A blonde girl with green eyes, wearing a cute red headband, appeared on Kobayashi Sora's screen. "You have a good eye. She is indeed an excellent candidate."

"What?" Shibuya Kanon asked in confusion.

"She's been involved in the entertainment industry since she was little, appearing in commercials as a child star, and has a lot of knowledge and experience in the industry. However, due to various reasons, she's always played supporting roles. Perhaps because she longed to be a lead actress, she participated in many competitions. Although she didn't become a lead actress, it made her very well-rounded in various acting skills," Kobayashi Sora said knowledgeably. "This kind of persistence and perseverance are outstanding qualities that far exceed those of ordinary people. If I'm not mistaken, her dancing ability should also be no problem."

"Is that so..." Shibuya Kanon's voice held a hint of fear, "But how did you know?"

“She often shares things online, and there are videos of various competitions. With the development of the internet, it’s easy to find out a lot of things.” Kobayashi Sora explained simply, “Judging from her personality, joining the school idol group is probably to try to find a different path.”

"Find another way?"

"If you can't be a lead in the entertainment industry, then you might have a chance in the less competitive school idol scene," Kobayashi Sora guessed. "That's probably the idea."

"So that's why..." Shibuya Kanon murmured, "Then let's give her the center position."

"That won't work."

"Eh?"

"The center position is not just a simple location, but the core that leads the team," Kobayashi Sora reminded. "Do you really think someone who quits so easily can lead a team well? Or are you willing to entrust your and Coco's dreams to someone who might run away at any time?"

"Well... Coco refused too." Shibuya Kanon was a little troubled. "What should we do then?"

"Pfft!" Kobayashi Sora suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's wrong?" Shibuya Kanon was taken aback by his laughter.

"Hmm, I've found something that might be useful." Kobayashi Sora sent the video to Shibuya Kanon. "I've sent you the video. See if you can use it to achieve your goal."

"Okay..." Shibuya Kanon hung up the phone and quickly received a video call. "Pfft!"

Laugh out loud.