Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

He's a musician after all; his hearing is top-notch.

After a brief discussion, the recording studio welcomed the next female voice actress to audition.

However, no matter how many auditionees they listened to, Riko Sasaki's voice remained imprinted in their hearts, leaving them no time to listen to anyone else.

Ms. Ayana was inspired by Ms. Sasaki's previous performance and immediately took out paper and pen to create the storyline for Mitsuba Hatsuka.

So much so that she couldn't hear what the female voice actress in front of her was singing at all.

Even after today's auditions were completely over, I still couldn't hear a voice that could rival Riko Sasaki's.

If the previous auditions had allowed for the selection of a few suitable candidates, then...

Today was entirely a solo performance by Riko Sasaki.

Or.

Riko Sasaki brought the ambiguous character of "Hatsuka Mitsumi" to the stage, allowing them to hear a live performance of "Hatsuka Mitsumi".

Even Director Kakimoto, who used to always bring up his "age," has now completely changed his attitude.

They even said things like, "We already have two older ones, so what's one more?" which is a recipe for disaster.

"Supervisor, if I remember correctly, you said before that you wanted to find a young and beautiful female lead singer?"

"Ahem... Well, it's not like you have to be young and pretty. Once you put on a mask, it's all the same, all the same." Kakimoto scratched his nose awkwardly.

Clearly, those are the things he was talking about.

Faced with such powerful numbers, they seem to become less important.

……

……

After leaving the recording studio, Toru Tazaki followed Mr. Fujita to a nearby family restaurant.

After sitting down, Mr. Fujita ordered two drinks and got straight to the point.

"The song that Ms. Sasaki sang today, was it written by Tazaki-kun?"

"Mr. Fujita, you can tell just by listening."

“I have an acquaintance who has collaborated with Ms. Sasaki’s music team several times. No one on her team can write music in that style.”

"As far as I know, although Ms. Sasaki has excellent singing skills, she does not have such great arrangement skills, so we can only ask someone outside to produce it."

"This timing is also so fitting for Mujica's style."

"After thinking it over and over, you're the only one I can think of."

They saw right through them.

Tazaki Toru hadn't intended to hide it anyway, and readily nodded, saying, "That's right, I wrote that song."

Mr. Fujita was slightly taken aback, staring at Toru Tazaki for a long while before sighing softly, "Indeed."

Suddenly, Mr. Fujita looked at Toru Tazaki with a very serious expression.

"That's cheating."

"That was a song I wrote for Ms. Sasaki as a fan. How Ms. Sasaki uses this song is her right."

"You don't actually think that kind of argument will work, do you?"

"Of course not, it's just that I completely believe that as long as Ms. Sasaki can be successfully elected as Mikami Hatsuka, there will be no problem."

"You're quite the strategist."

After saying that, Mr. Fujita extended his hand.

Tazaki Toru asked in surprise, "Mr. Fujita, are you perhaps asking me for hush money?"

"What nonsense! I told you to hand over the audio source so I can listen to it properly when I get back."

"I see. I sent the audio file to Mr. Fujita's email address this morning."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Fujita was stunned again, and his gaze toward Toru Tazaki became particularly complex.

He sighed inwardly at this young man; he seemed humble and gentle, but in reality, he had an inexplicable air of autocracy when it came to doing things.

Ironically, this arrogance, when packaged, doesn't evoke any sense of annoyance; "arrogance" evolves into his unique "confidence."

"Alright, I'll figure out how to talk to the higher-ups about the rest."

Immediately, Mr. Fujita's expression turned serious, and his voice carried a hint of something else: "You didn't give the song to someone else, did you?"

"Of course not, but the drum part was recorded by Mika-sensei."

"That's alright."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Who says otherwise? This meal is on you."

Tazaki Toru chuckled softly.

After a long silence, Mr. Fujita exclaimed sincerely, "Honestly, it's a really good song."

"What a great song, Tazaki-kun. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Entrusting this job to you was absolutely the right decision."

Does this song have a name?

Upon hearing this, Tazaki Toru recalled the image of the girl singing loudly in his mind.

"Someone will name it."

222. The troublesome one (referring to Ms. Tachibana) is about to disappear.

In the blink of an eye, the end of November has quietly passed.

Tokyo has fully entered winter.

The December wind was indeed biting; walking on the street felt like having a layer of polishing cream on your skin, constantly rubbing and polishing it.

His breath quickly turned into white mist and rose slowly. He lifted the scarf around his neck, burying half of his face inside it, his hands tightly tucked into his coat pockets.

As the year draws to a close, many recording studios in the city have begun to reduce their operating hours.

In the recording studio, you can often hear staff talking about how they spend their New Year's holiday. When asked about it, Toru Tazaki laughed and said he hadn't made any plans yet.

Tazaki Toru has no home or family in this city.

It has both advantages and disadvantages.

No one would care about his background, saving him the trouble of feigning friendships and relatives, since he was not originally from this world.

Thinking about it this way, being reborn as an orphan isn't so bad.

The practice sessions for the bands MyGO and Mujica will end the week after next.

Carrying the groceries he bought from the supermarket, Tazaki Toru returned to the Kubo family home.

As soon as I stepped inside, I felt a wave of warmth.

The central air conditioning in the living room is steadily releasing warmth, and the temperature panel embedded in the wall is permanently set at 30°C.

The wool coat, meant to keep him warm, actually made him feel even hotter.

"I am back."

"Um, Tazaki-kun, welcome home."

Hina Aoki made a special trip to greet him.

"I'm sorry, it's so cold, and I made you come all the way to the supermarket."

"It wasn't a special trip. It was just a short walk from the recording studio to the station," Tazaki Toru said with a smile.

The next moment, Aoki Hina suddenly stretched out her hands, and her fair and soft palms were placed on Tazaki Toru's face.

Her hands were like slightly toasted marshmallows, warm and smooth, with a hint of sweet fragrance.

If one were to lose one's way in a misty forest, suffering from hunger and cold, one might very well put this finger in one's mouth to warm oneself and fill one's stomach.

"My hands are warm, aren't they?"

Tazaki Toru's body stiffened slightly, and an unnatural expression almost appeared on his face.

Immediately, as if suddenly realizing something, Hina Aoki blushed, withdrew her hands, raised an embarrassed smile, and took the supermarket shopping bag from Toru Tazaki's hands as if to cover her embarrassment.

Stepping into the living room, I found it empty, as if the troublesome female voice actress was missing.

After entering December, the two female voice actresses in the family didn't have much work, and rarely went out except for band practice.

For popular voice actors, this period is actually a time when they are busy with their work, while for ordinary people like them, whose "voice actor debut" is still in doubt, staying at home all day is the norm.

No, working at a convenience store is probably the norm.

They skipped this step because they weren't troubled by money.

Tazaki Toru asked, "Where is Tachibana-san?"

"She's sleeping in her room."

"sleep?"

It's only 5 p.m.

Tazaki Toru had never heard of female voice actors going into hibernation.

“Well… it’s that stage of a girl’s life,” Aoki explained.

Tazaki Toru was slightly taken aback, then looked enlightened and didn't say anything more.

In the evening, Tazaki Toru and Aoki Hina had dinner together.

He set aside Tachibana Rin's portion separately, and then went upstairs to the music room.

Tazaki Toru's current job doesn't have the concept of holidays.

In addition to composing and writing lyrics for the two bands, thanks to Mr. Fujita, Toru Tazaki also received several arrangement jobs other than Bushido.

Freelance musicians like Toru Tazaki, who are not affiliated with any company, have no reason to complain about having too much work.

In this way, Toru Tazaki can also connect with more professional musicians and build his network.