Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

For a moment, Toru Tazaki couldn't tell.

He couldn't figure out if she was joking.

Or are you serious?

290. She's such a scheming woman!

First floor living room.

Rin Tachibana was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, looking sullen.

He thought to himself that Aoki Hina was far too arrogant, practically kicking away the ladder after crossing the river, and completely disregarding him.

She was clearly the head of the household, yet instead of trying to please her, they kept doing things that annoyed her.

Rin Tachibana couldn't quite put her finger on where this feeling of stuffiness was coming from.

Why do I feel so uncomfortable?

Could it be that I really...

Rin Tachibana was startled by this sudden thought.

No, no.

Who am I, Kubo Akiyu? If I were to fall for his trick so openly, wouldn't I lose face?

In the quiet living room, the midnight heartbeat was like a disturbing motorcycle engine, making her restless and uneasy.

Just as Tachibana Rin was trying to reassure and hypnotize herself, footsteps came from the stairs.

Aoki Hina beamed with a cheerful smile, her steps light and light.

What's that? He looks so happy, like he's been fed to a good degree.

Just looking at it made Tachibana Rin feel angry.

Hina Aoki took a cheerful step, the clattering sound of her slippers almost announcing how happy she was.

The more this happened, the more frustrated Tachibana Rin became.

But she couldn't express these feelings, otherwise Aoki Hina would really misunderstand.

Hina Aoki happily came to Rin Tachibana's side, stretched out her beautiful palm, and gave Rin Tachibana's cheek a good rub.

"Rin-chan, thank you."

Rin Tachibana shook her head, slapped Hina Aoki's small hand away, and said nonchalantly, "...Why are you thanking me?"

"Of course I have to thank you. Thanks to your cooperation, I was able to have a proper conversation with Tazaki-kun."

Seeing Aoki Hina's beaming face, Tachibana Rin couldn't help but pout slightly, hesitatingly saying:

"What are you all saying?"

She tried to use a casual tone to avoid appearing too concerned.

However, Hina Aoki stared at Rin Tachibana's face for a long time before smiling and uttering two words:

"Secret."

"........."

"I'm going to take a shower."

Hina Aoki hummed a song composed by Toru Tazaki and skipped off to the restroom, leaving Rin Tachibana still sitting in the same spot.

My already gloomy mood was further clouded by Aoki Hina's actions.

I sat on the sofa in a daze for a long time, feeling empty inside and completely listless.

She wished a sudden downpour and a hurricane would blow the roof off, leaving her drenched like a lame monkey, hanging from the beam by her tail like a broken, rusty swing, constantly emitting a grating, metallic creak.

After a long time, Tazaki Toru, who had spent the whole day in the music room, finally came downstairs with his already empty water glass in his hand.

I saw Tachibana Rin leaning back on the sofa, craning her neck and letting her mind wander.

Tazaki Toru followed her gaze and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

"Miss Tachibana, what are you looking at?"

"...Don't bother me."

A question mark slowly floated above Tazaki Toru's head. He glanced around the living room and casually asked, "Where's Miss Aoki?"

A simple sentence caused Tachibana Rin's delicate brows to furrow.

Miss Aoki, it's Miss Aoki again.

"She went to take a shower. Do you want to come in and check on her? I'll open the door for you."

"Uh...no need."

Tazaki Toru's expression was subtle, subconsciously recalling the scene of seeing Aoki Hina's body last night, his tone tinged with embarrassment.

"What? Sorry?" Tachibana Rin snorted coldly.

"Anyway, you're soulmates, I'm just superfluous, I'm not needed," she muttered to herself.

Having said that, she suddenly stood up, slightly raised her eyes, and her pupils reflected Tazaki Toru's rather bewildered expression. She said irritably:

"Get away!"

Tazaki Toru instinctively made way for him.

The girl couldn't help but click her tongue softly.

I told you to leave, and you actually left?

Since things had already come to this point, Tachibana Rin had no choice but to bite the bullet and head up to the second floor.

As she walked, she was calculating in her mind that if he stopped her now, she would stand there silently and wait for Tazaki Toru to coax her.

Sister Lin isn't really being unreasonable. Even if you say a few words of concern that aren't genuine, and stop constantly talking about Qingmu, she'll accept it.

But even as Ms. Tachibana stepped onto the stairs, she still couldn't hear Toru Tazaki's voice.

The feeling of loss was amplified in that instant, and her slow steps suddenly became swift as she fled back to her room as if escaping.

The door to my heart slammed shut with a "bang".

Even downstairs, Toru Tazaki heard the loud slam of the door closing.

Tazaki Toru was completely bewildered, wondering who had offended her this time.

Back in her room, Ms. Tachibana collapsed onto the bed, lying motionless like a dead fish.

Then, as if thrown into a boiling oil pot, it struggled back and forth like a carp, clenching its fists and pounding wildly.

She increasingly felt that she might be sick.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about Toru Tazaki, wondering why he treats people differently.

He was so patient with Hina Aoki, it was as if they could talk about anything.

Can't you see it?

Haruna Oshima is such a scheming woman!

They'll stop at nothing to get you into bed!

You keep praising her for being obsessed with music, but she clearly just wants you to get into her music...

This is infuriating!

If things continue like this, Tachibana Rin will become less and less like herself.

Perhaps, just as my sister said, it will gradually develop into a love triangle...

Rin Tachibana shook her head vigorously, banishing this absurd idea from her mind.

He was just a guy who came to freeload, yet he dared to make her experience such heart-wrenching feelings.

If it weren't for Rin being understanding and considerate, she would have definitely burst into tears in public, crying so hard that Aoki Hina would have rushed out of the bathroom to comfort her.

She made her decision.

From now on, I need to keep my distance from that guy, Toru Tazaki.

She wouldn't speak to him, wouldn't be alone with him, even when he shed tears of repentance and clung to her trouser leg, begging her not to leave.

Even if he said in person that among all the female voice actresses, he liked Tachibana Rin the most.

I love her feigned crying, I love her wide eyes when taking pictures, I love the wrinkles that appear on her cheeks when she laughs, I love everything about her.

Rin Tachibana remained unmoved and righteously rejected him.

For the sake of her friendship with Hina Aoki, and for her sake, or for Rin Tachibana.

If she softens her heart for even a second, she's a puppy.

Let's make that decision and stop overthinking.

No matter whose bed he lies in, or which girl he holds in his arms, he will whisper sweet nothings to her that she has never heard before.

It has absolutely nothing to do with me.

In this way...

In this way, I can turn back into the Tachibana Rin I used to be.

The girl turned over in confusion, staring blankly at the familiar ceiling.

what……

That's a bit difficult.

291. The "girl" in "girl band" is such a huge leap in popularity. (Midnight)

end of February.

Temperatures in Tokyo are gradually rising, and the bare tree branches along the streets are gradually turning lush and green.

There was a faint scent of spring approaching.