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398 Why Kasumigaoka Utaha Is the Perfect Wife
🕑 Added 2025-07-23 15:09:18 +0000 UTCThe golden-haired princess, who had just been full of fiery spirit, froze the moment she heard that line—like she’d just bitten into half a lemon.
A jolt ran through her body as the realization of what she had just said hit her.
She tried her best to stay calm, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her.
The heat rising in her face was unmistakable.
“Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! All you ever say is nonsense!”
With her usual flustered fury, Eriri stomped her foot down... though it landed just beside Kyousuke’s.
‘Ugh! This is why I shouldn’t have talked to that old hag! I completely lost control!’
As she replayed the things she’d just said and thought, Eriri could only blame her sleepy, foggy brain from last night for uttering something that embarrassing.
Her skin crawled like a hundred ants were climbing all over her.
A tingling sensation ran through her veins, as if lemon juice was flowing instead of blood.
She couldn’t even tell whether it was sweet or sour anymore—just that the feeling was intoxicating, leaving her weak in the knees.
Even shouting “idiot” had lost its usual force.
She didn’t know what was wrong with her.
This was the perfect time to press the advantage, to make Kosaka Akane cry after all that shouting.
And yet... all she wanted to do was reach out, push Kyousuke’s head to the side because she was sure he was staring at her and then sneak a look at his reaction.
‘Ugh, so annoying! Why do you have to look at me at a time like this?! ‘
‘Hurry up and scold Kosaka Akane already! Don’t let all my hard work go to waste!’
She screamed internally, her bright blue eyes darting as far to the left as they could, while her head kept wanting to turn right.
The movement was tiny, restrained by the heavy chains of embarrassment.
‘No way, I cannot look! If I do, that idiot might actually think I said that on purpose for him to hear.’
‘Then he’d get all smug. No way am I letting some glorified gofer get that full of himself!’
Across from her, Kosaka Akane finally raised her hand and began clapping slowly, her fingertips meeting in a light, deliberate rhythm.
“I acknowledge you now, Sawamura Spencer Eriri. You’re a true creator.”
Her voice rang out clearly.
Even though she’d been called an old hag again, Akane had a high tolerance for creators burning with this kind of passion.
She’d originally thought Eriri was just some dumb prodigy, but it turned out the girl had real resolve.
Akane felt her own heart stir just hearing her words—it reminded her of the days before everything went dark, when she still worked with her publishing house, chasing dreams.
Sure, she’d been naive and deceived.
But those days had been truly joyful.
Originally, her main target had been Hojou.
But now it was clear—Eriri was a treasure on the same level.
Akane’s eyes lit up like a starving wolf in the snow.
And her blazing gaze didn’t stop with just Kyousuke and Eriri—it included Kasumigaoka Utaha too.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Just look at that Taki Tomoya next to her—there’s no place for a husky in a pack of wolves.
A wannabes who try to force their way into the world of the strong… the best they can hope for is to become fertilizer for the truly gifted.
Akane’s resolve only deepened.
She had to recruit all three of them.
Their talent was being wasted in this lazy, complacent environment.
Eriri’s words were passionate, her conviction inspiring—but Akane’s own drive was just as fierce.
She shifted her gaze to Kyousuke and declared boldly:
“You three deserve a future far bigger than what this little company can offer. Join Mars. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you—money, shares, anything.
I know you’re smart enough to hold a grudge over what I did to your company, but think about it. If someone hits you, you don’t blame them.
You blame yourself for being too weak to stop it.”
“Join me. You must be sick of dealing with interviews, recruitment, company management, right? Just focus on your creations. I’ll handle everything else.”
Then she glanced at Eriri and Utaha, hesitated for a moment, and added:
“I know you like women. At first, I was going to suggest using myself to eliminate your worldly desires, but—”
“Absolutely not!” ×2
The two girls slammed their hands on the table in perfect sync. Kasumigaoka Utaha’s chest bounced dramatically with the motion.
‘Did she seriously just say that?!’
‘ Thank goodness Miyamizu-san wasn’t here,’ Kisaki thought to himself.
“...Huh?” Akane blinked in surprise.
She hadn’t expected them to react more strongly than Kyousuke himself.
So, it seemed they had strong ‘worldly desires’ too, huh?
“Okay, okay. That may have been a bit much. How about this?
As long as it doesn’t interfere with your work, I don’t care if you rack up a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand women.
I’ll get you whoever you want—celebrities, idols, models, singers… name it, I’ll make it happen.”
Kyousuke had to fight hard not to swallow nervously, not because he was tempted by her offer, but because of the killing intent he could feel radiating from both sides of him.
Kisaki Tetta was just as pissed.
His boss’s lady-killer rep was second only to his street-fighting skills.
Every single member of the Rampaging Angels agreed on that!
Scoffing, Kisaki cut in:
“What a joke. You think someone like our boss needs help finding women?”
Just look at the two queens next to him.
Akane must be blind if she thought she had a chance.
“I think your name was Kisaki Tetta, right?” Akane sneered. “How dare a failure like you speak out of turn.
If you were in my company, you’d already be facing a lawsuit for gross incompetence, paying out damages, and getting booted out the door.”
She didn’t even spare him a glance—her eyes stayed locked on Hojou Kyousuke.
Kisaki looked like he’d just been skewered by a two-meter-long steel bar.
He nearly coughed up blood.
“But it’s not your place to discipline my staff,” Kyousuke replied coldly.
He appreciated Kisaki’s timely distraction, which had diverted attention from the two furious girls at his sides.
Akane just smiled and said nothing.
She was too busy to waste time on small talk.
“Whatever Eriri says is what I say. Her will is the will of Tansan.”
Kyousuke’s tone turned frosty.
It was time to wrap up this farce. Out of respect for the useful plan Akane had presented
—and for the entertainment she’d brought on his ‘Eriri Encounter Anniversary’—he’d let her leave in one piece today.
“That’s right! If anything, Mars should be merged into Tansan! Name your price, we’ll buy you out! But once you become my subordinate, I will fix that disgusting workplace harassment habit of yours!”
Eriri snapped.
What kind of nonsense was this woman spouting?
Wasn’t Kyousuke already surrounded by enough women?!
“I wonder,” Utaha murmured with a playful smirk. “You said you could bring Kyousuke any woman he wants... does that include yourself, Kosaka Akane?”
“Hey, hey, Utaha! Have you lost your mind too?” Eriri shouted. “I thought you only sexually harassed Kyousuke! Since when did your tastes get so weird?!”
Eriri’s eyes widened in shock.
“Shut up, you idiot.”
Three dark lines formed on Kasumigaoka Utaha’s forehead as she gritted the words out between her teeth.
Kyousuke had said from the start that he wanted Kosaka Akane to join the company and work under him.
Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?
If they could get Kosaka Akane on their side, then Mars—and even the Takaita family backing her—would be within reach.
Just like Kosaka Akane said: in order to succeed, any method is justified.
When you're weak, you need the courage to swallow an elephant whole.
Betting big with small odds has always been the key to success.
Seeing Utaha’s determination, Eriri turned to glare at Kyousuke, her eyes full of warning.
The message was clear:
“If you even think about it, I will bite you to death.”
“Oh? Me? Sorry, I’m busy,” Akane said with a smile, not at all offended. “I’ve got my own work to finish and a company to run.”
“Your work? You mean that polished trash cobbled together by a bunch of amateurs?”
Utaha folded her arms across her chest and sneered.
Now that Akane had shown her hand, it was her turn to strike.
“Trash?” Kosaka Akane blinked.
It had been a long time since anyone dared to say that to her face.
“Wait a minute! Kasumi Utako-sensei, even if you are the author of Love Metronome, I absolutely won’t let you insult the work produced by Mars!” Taki Tomoya sprang up, flustered.
“Sure, some titles might have flaws, but calling them trash? That’s just—those are the fruits of so many people’s efforts—!”
Kyousuke narrowed his eyes, while Kisaki Tetta, still bitter from earlier, took a step forward, ready to shut him up.
“Shut up!” Akane barked, her voice sharp as a whip.
She was so fast that even Kisaki froze in place, holding in the fury that nearly gave him internal injuries.
“If you’re bold enough to call my work trash, then surely you must have something better, right?”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, smile sharpening into a knife’s edge.
“You see,” Utaha replied coolly, her lips curled into a knowing smile, “just from that sloppy phrasing, it’s clear you’re unfit to be a writer.”
And just like that, for the sake of Kyousuke, Utaha unleashed the cruelest words she could at the woman she once admired in the industry—without the slightest hesitation.
“Not better... but perfect.”
She turned to Kyousuke and asked with practiced grace,
“Kyousuke, where’s that manga you finished in half an hour on the ride over?”
Hearing that, Eriri perked up.
She tried to mimic Utaha’s cold smirk, but the lingering sweetness in her heart from earlier embarrassment ruined the effect.
The best she could manage was a stiff, robotic grin—but it didn’t stop her from delivering a perfectly timed assist:
“Wait, wasn’t that half-hour also interrupted by a certain shameless woman in black stockings rubbing her seductive thighs all over Kyousuke? Strictly speaking, he probably spent less than ten minutes on it!”
“….” Kyousuke turned slightly to look at Eriri.
‘This idiot… why are you outing me out now….. ‘
Not long ago, she would panic just dealing with Utaha-senpai alone and had to rely on pity to win support.
And now? She could launch double attacks all on her own!
Utaha’s face twitched.
The little devil in her mind screamed: Focus! The main enemy is Kosaka Akane!
She took a deep breath and forced down her frustration, then said coldly:
“Oh? And I recall a certain second-rate artist who only knows how to draw erotic doujinshi couldn’t help fantasizing about unspeakable acts in the car earlier.
She even complained that I was a third wheel, ruining her little plan. If I remember right, that shameless woman kept trying to guide Kyousuke’s hand onto her bony thighs.
Hasn’t anyone told her not to bother a man when he’s working?”
Nope. She couldn’t hold it in.
Kosaka Akane? Forget it—priorities mattered, and Utaha was done playing nice.
Kyousuke sighed inwardly.
‘Senpai, you know me well.’
‘So why can’t you tell when I’m being serious? And what are you two even talking about?’
‘Why didn’t either of you act on any of this earlier?!’
Eriri, just as angry, scrunched her nose and was about to call out Utaha for constantly using her chest to distract Kyousuke while he was drawing…
But Kyousuke moved fast.
With perfect timing, he grabbed a tablet from the drawer and handed it to Utaha, using the motion to block Eriri’s line of sight.
This was the second “course” he had prepared for Kosaka Akane.
When dealing with someone who follows their own set of rules for winning, all you have to do is lay the right path—and they’ll walk straight into the trap.
In other words: strike where they’re proudest.
Break their confidence from the inside out.
It was the same move Akane had used on Eriri earlier.
And that’s exactly why Kyousuke had stepped in back then—to protect Eriri from a direct hit.
Unlike him—a “plagiarist” at heart—true creators like them all carried unshakable pride deep within.
Just like Kosaka Akane. Just like Utaha-senpai.
Yes, it was the same strategy.
Kosaka Akane had used it on Eriri.
Now, Kyousuke was using it on Akane.
And Utaha was doing the same now—provoking her into stepping into a contest she believed she could win, only to be outclassed by a superior work.
Only Eriri, bless her heart, kept charging forward on her own—
‘Well… she’s still a dumbass. But don’t underestimate her resolve.’
“The perfect work—” Utaha gave the tablet a little shake, her voice playful. “—is right here~”
Kosaka Akane took two steps forward and reached for it.
She didn’t truly believe there was such a thing as a “perfect” work, but the hunger inside her for good art was insatiable.
She couldn’t wait to see what Hojou Kyousuke had created—this so-called perfect piece.
But just as she reached out, the black-haired, red-eyed girl pulled it back with a sly smirk.
“After the damage you caused our dumb blonde with your pathetic imitation? You think you’re worthy of seeing this gem? I don’t think so.”
‘Who’re you calling dumb?!’ Eriri grumbled inwardly.
Kyousuke nodded to himself in satisfaction.
‘That’s more like it.’
He’d never intended to hand over the manga so easily.
No—any move must bring rewards in return.
Kosaka Akane lowered her hand.
The eagerness still flickered in her eyes, but she smirked and said:
“What now? Are you saying that if Hojou Kyousuke’s work surpasses mine… I should become her woman?”
‘Wait, wait…’ Eriri blinked, surprised. ‘Isn’t that exactly how it works in anime?!’
She glanced at Utaha—was this what she was planning all along?
The proud creator, defeated in the one field where she held confidence, becomes the property of the victor…
Spending her days using her body to serve her master in exchange for drawing and writing techniques.
No matter how inhumanly she’s treated, the moment she hears her master’s voice teaching her new techniques, she’ll obediently arch her back, stick out her tongue, and—
‘No, no, no!’ Eriri yanked herself out of her spiraling thoughts. ‘What the hell am I even imagining?!’
[TL Note – Nooooo! Don’t stop please tell me more!]
No way in hell she’d let that kind of woman stay by Kyousuke’s side!
Thank goodness Kasumigaoka Utaha was a petty, jealous woman.
Thank goodness.
“Heh~ I’m not an idiot. Do you really think I’d be that naive?” Kasumigaoka let out a light chuckle.
A plot like that wouldn’t even show up in one of dumb Eriri’s doujin works.
“And then?” Kosaka Akane asked calmly.
“If this piece that Kyousuke created in just ten minutes actually surpasses the quality of everything you’ve ever made
—then, Kosaka Akane, you must publicly apologize to Carbonated (Takaban) Animation Studio using both Mars’s official account and your personal one.
And I want that apology published on three major media platforms.”
Utaha laid her cards on the table.
Her stunning crimson eyes glimmered with fierce brilliance—beautiful, yet intimidating.
Devouring a whale still requires precision.
Even an anaconda in the rainforest can suffocate to death while trying to swallow its prey.
Kosaka Akane was a massive catch—whether it was her personal skill, the multimedia empire she commanded, or the Takaban family standing behind her.
Any one of those would skyrocket Kyousuke’s fledgling company straight into the stratosphere.
But that wasn’t realistic. Utaha had never aimed for those things in the first place.
Why had Kosaka Akane started by targeting Kyousuke’s company from the HR side?
Because in this industry, creators are everything.
Everyone else exists to support them.
To attract talent, you need strength.
Kyousuke had proven that—he’d already drawn people like Kazama Rito to his side with nothing but his ability. And reputation is a form of strength, too.
Right now, Carbonated Animation was a no-name studio.
But if Kosaka Akane publicly apologized, they’d instantly rise to fame as the dark horse that challenged—and defeated—Mars.
Using Kosaka Akane and the Mars brand as a stepping stone to the top—now that was the real strategy.
Choosing the right prey and tailoring the perfect plan—that’s how Kasumigaoka Utaha earned her reputation as the “perfect daughter-in-law” in Aunt Mikiko’s eyes.
And Kosaka Akane had no reason to refuse.
Not as long as she still desired Kyousuke… or them.
“…Deal.”
Kosaka Akane agreed without hesitation.
She knew what kind of consequences this might bring, but it didn’t matter.
Even if Carbonated did rise, she was confident she could crush them.
In the world of business, she might find it even easier than now.
As she’d said before—what she was offering now was mercy.
She wouldn’t be so gentle next time.
“Be my guest~”
Kasumigaoka opened her tablet, tapped on a folder, and handed it over with a composed smile.
