Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

These words seemed to imply that this was also Tazaki Toru's wish, so much so that the blush that Takagi Mika had just faded quietly spread up her neck again.

The girl felt her ears burning and dared not look into Tazaki Toru's earnest eyes, otherwise it would seem as if she were the only one having wild thoughts.

"Then... if that day really comes, it seems there's one more thing I want to do."

Tazaki Toru slowly turned his face to look at her. The girl showed her usual silly smile, looking a bit dazed, yet incredibly pure.

"If I could perform your composition on the stage of my dreams, fulfilling my wish..."

"Our dream."

"I think there is nothing in the world more joyful than this."

Tazaki Toru suddenly felt a very strange feeling. Writing songs had long been a part of him, as natural as eating and drinking.

But when he heard the scene described by Mika Takagi, a glimmer of fantasy arose in his heart.

Perhaps it is not impossible for it to come true.

Despite a few unexpected incidents, they still got along well tonight, like old friends who had known each other for many years, and said goodnight to each other.

Back in his room, Toru Tazaki sat in a chair and fell into deep thought.

After witnessing the lives of two girls, Hina Aoki and Mika Takagi, who, despite their different circumstances, were both striving for their dreams in the same way, I realized that...

Something that had been dormant within Tazaki Toru for a long time seemed to be about to break free.

These emotions cannot be kept inside; they can only be fully expressed, leaping off the page in the form of musical notes.

I wrote and before I knew it, it was dawn.

……

……

Since then, Tazaki Toru's life has gradually gotten back on track.

Determined to continue as a composer in this world, Toru Tazaki, who has no academic background, participated in the "Sky Cup" and got his original song nominated for an award, which has become his small goal at this stage.

He composes music at home during the day and works at a live house at night.

Because Yoshimura had settled all the previous arrangement fees, Tazaki Toru would sometimes go to live houses other than SHELTER to watch certain bands perform live in order to find inspiration.

Although Yoshimura couldn't offer any help with the composition, according to his inside information, this year's "Sky Cup" judges preferred a Japanese rock style, which led Tazaki Toru to lean towards that direction.

Evaluating music is a rather subjective process. If you're aiming for a career in it, you should at least figure out what elements are most needed in this industry.

This is not a compromise, but rather the professionalism of Tazaki Toru as a professional musician.

That afternoon.

Sitting at the outer cashier counter of SHELTER, Toru Tazaki skillfully offered a smile to the young female customer in front of him.

The other person stared at Tazaki Toru's handsome face without moving until they were urged by the people behind them in line, at which point they reluctantly left.

After seeing off the last guest, Tazaki Toru stretched, his phone buzzing incessantly in his pocket.

As soon as the call connected, Mika Takagi's voice came through the receiver.

"Tazaki-san, are you busy?"

"Just finished working, what's up?"

On the other end of the phone, Mika Takagi seemed to be deliberately lowering her voice, and Toru Tazaki could almost picture her covering the microphone with her hand and speaking quietly.

"Um, is it convenient for you to come back for a while? It seems like something happened at your home."

Tazaki Toru was taken aback by what he heard.

As Mika Takagi explained to him, Toru Tazaki's expression slowly changed.

He seems to have overlooked something very important.

No, it's not just seemingly.

"Um... Mr. Tazaki, the landlord and the new tenant are standing in front of your door right now. You haven't contacted the landlord since then, have you?"

Tazaki Toru sat motionless, gradually becoming drenched in sweat.

"I've completely forgotten."

17. Is it wrong to live with a female voice actress? (Please read on!)

Bang bang bang!

Crunch~ Crunch~

Footsteps and the sound of metal scraping rang out at the same time. As soon as Tazaki Toru returned to his residence, he saw Takagi Mika bowing to an elderly man.

"I'm telling you young people, how can you have no sense of contractual obligation at all? I've warned you before, and I even let him stay for another half a month. I can't be shortchanged on my share of the money, you know?"

The landlord spoke with a strong Kyoto accent and had a kind face.

"Yes, I'm really very sorry." Mika Takagi kept bowing and apologizing.

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps on the stairs, they all looked over and saw Tazaki Toru standing there.

"Tazaki-san!"

"The young man came back quite quickly; it would be good if he paid the rent just as soon as possible."

At this moment, Tazaki Toru felt somewhat embarrassed, but he forced himself to step forward and his first words were about private matters.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you."

The landlord glanced at Toru Tazaki and said leisurely, "Oh my, young man, you're usually quite talkative. Why didn't you make a sound before? I thought you were mute. You're quite handsome, though. Hmm, you're good-looking. Very good, very good."

Tazaki Toru twitched the corner of his mouth, unsure whether he should say thank you.

“I know you’ve been living here for a while now. I didn’t mean to make things difficult for you, but it’s almost April, and there are so many students looking to rent rooms.”

“It’s perfect timing. My wife’s nephew is coming to Tokyo to study. I was thinking of letting him stay with someone else since the room is already rented out, but she found out that you haven’t paid rent. Isn’t that a coincidence? The last time we changed the locks, it was my wife who had someone do it.”

The obscure and lengthy Kyoto dialect entered his ears, making Toru Tazaki's scalp tingle slightly, unable to discern whether what he was saying was true or false.

Unfortunately, this incident was entirely his fault. At the time, Tazaki Toru was indeed out of energy, and afterwards he completely forgot about the rent issue, so he could only maintain a stiff smile.

Tazaki Toru had never wished so much that his landlady was a woman, so that he might be able to use his good looks to do some underhanded things.

"Young man, could you pack your luggage a bit later, and then give the key to my nephew? He can give it back to me later for the extra two weeks he's staying. I'm a very easygoing person, okay? Let's be friendly and easygoing, right?"

Tazaki Toru was taken aback.

"Oh? You're moving today?"

"What a beautiful day! The weather is lovely! Perfect for moving."

"........."

Mika Takagi, who was standing next to him, gently tugged at the hem of Toru Tazaki's clothes and whispered, "Tazaki-san, why don't you move your luggage to my house today?"

Tazaki Toru wanted to try to struggle a bit more, but the landlord said at that moment, "I think it's fine for you two young couples to live together, and you can even pay one less bill."

"Oh dear, Uncle, my house is a bit old, but the soundproofing is good."

Mika Takagi's eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, and she stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

Tazaki Toru quickly waved his hand and said, "No, we..."

"Okay, okay, you guys go ahead and move on, I have to go to the next place."

The landlord left without lingering, along with the bespectacled boy behind him. Tazaki Toru and Takagi Mika looked at each other, neither of them speaking first.

Finally, Takagi Mika couldn't stand the silence any longer. Not daring to look up at Tazaki Toru's face, she stammered, "I... I'll help you with your luggage first."

Tazaki Toru lowered her head, and all that could be seen were her bright red earlobes. She softly hummed in agreement.

Although it was called moving luggage, Tazaki Toru had almost nothing to move. Apart from the clothes he wore when the seasons changed, the largest item he had was his wooden guitar with rusty strings.

The only slightly unusual thing was the notebook that filled an entire cardboard box, making it a bit heavy.

Working together, the two of them cleared out the house completely and cleaned it up in just half an hour.

After doing all this, Toru Tazaki had no choice but to throw the key into the mailbox, thus bidding farewell to the house forever.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you so much again."

"What are you talking about, Tazaki-san? Aren't we good partners who want to achieve our dreams together?" The girl in front of me showed her signature silly smile.

Another day where I was healed by the smile of the voice actress next door.

"By the way, there's still space in my bedroom closet. Tazaki-san, pick out the clothes you don't usually use, and I'll put them in the bedroom."

"As for the clothes you need to change and wash on a regular basis, um... I'll make a space for you so it'll be more convenient for you."

Just as Tazaki Toru was about to thank her, he felt that something was off about what she was saying.

Mika Takagi patted the sofa in the living room: "Until Tazaki-san finds a new place to stay, let's make do with this guy for now."

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"Tazaki-san, aren't you staying at my place tonight?" Takagi Mika asked.

"........."

Seeing that Tazaki Toru didn't speak, she tilted her head and asked, "Is there anywhere we can go?"

Tazaki Toru was silent for a moment, then managed to utter, "...The park?"

"Why is it a question?! And how could I let you sleep in the park?! Honestly, it's not like this is the first time Tazaki-san has slept at my house."

Why are you portraying me as someone who frequently stays overnight at female voice actresses' homes?

"Isn't that so?"

"You're right," Tazaki Toru honestly admitted.

Mika Takagi burst out laughing.

Just like when they first met, he seemed to still be worried about being followed and secretly photographed, and about causing her trouble.

"Alright, alright, Tazaki-san, you're overthinking it. I know you mean well, but I have to say, you're too biased towards voice actors."