Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

"...You...you've gone to a lot of trouble."

After thinking for a long time, Tazaki Toru could only manage to utter this one sentence.

Rin Tachibana glanced at Toru Tazaki, patted the cardboard box containing the PC, and proudly raised her neck: "Stop talking nonsense."

"Tonight, go to the room."

For Tachibana Rin, this small amount of money was nothing compared to the humiliation she suffered in the game.

Besides, it was Tazaki Toru who said he could do it, which meant he was willing to play games with her.

Don't be fooled by how aggressive Tachibana Rin is when facing Tazaki Toru.

This essentially stems from the landlord's dominance over the tenant, which gives her the confidence to take the initiative.

If Tachibana Rin were to meet Tazaki Toru in a place like a live house, she'd be sure to shrink back and not be able to utter a single word.

Tazaki Toru was unable to describe his feelings at that moment, and did not know how to deal with it, so he could only look to Aoki Hina for help.

Seeing Tazaki Toru looking at her, Aoki Hina silently turned and went into the bathroom, and soon the sound of running water from the faucet could be heard.

It was only then that Tazaki Toru realized what Aoki Hina meant by "Be careful."

While Tachibana Rin was unpacking the cardboard box, Tazaki Toru quietly moved to the front of the washroom. Miss Aoki was wearing a headscarf, revealing her pretty little forehead, and was putting a slightly thick, long-handled object filled with white ointment into her mouth.

Press the button.

The electric toothbrush started vibrating with a "buzzing" sound.

"Hey... Miss Aoki, can't you think of something?"

If this continues, Tazaki Toru might really become Wa's junior.

Miss Aoki stared at Toru Tazaki and rattled off a long string of words, spraying white toothpaste foam mixed with saliva everywhere, even getting a few specks on Toru Tazaki's face.

The girl blushed and quickly took a sip of water.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle... Ptooey."

"I'm sorry, Tazaki-kun, I don't have the confidence to persuade Rin-chan."

"So we're just going to leave her like this?"

Hina Aoki blinked her bright eyes and said bluntly, "Just ignore her."

"But she's the landlady."

"The landlord can do whatever he wants..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Hina Aoki suddenly fell silent, scratched her head, and chuckled dryly, "I can't speak for others, but Rin-chan is really like that."

"Whoosh~~~ So cool! Tazaki! Come see your new graphics card! Hiu~~hiu~~"

A loud, strange cry came from the entrance hall, as if an Australian kangaroo had punched a polar bear to the ground. Only the audience who witnessed this spectacle could utter such an exclamation.

Such an incredible sound, it's a bit too sweet.

"Am I going to be forced to hear these... moans every night starting today?"

Hina Aoki remained silent and did not respond.

Sweat immediately beaded on Tazaki Toru's forehead, it was hard to tell whether it was from his morning run or something else.

Out of desperation, Aoki Hina secretly gave Tazaki a suggestion.

All she has to do is pretend to be stupid in the game. As time goes on and she loses more and more, and once Tachibana Rin's already limited patience is completely worn out, she may stop being so obsessed with Tazaki Toru.

Hmm... that's not entirely accurate. Tachibana Rin is fixated on a gaming partner.

A very strong player, strong enough to carry her to victory, or a very weak player, weak enough to take the blame for her.

Rather than Toru Tazaki himself.

"It's okay, Tazaki-kun. Knowing Rin-chan as I do, she'll get tired of you quickly if you deliberately act like you're bad."

"Um...probably."

Tazaki Toru could tell that Aoki Hina's tone lacked confidence.

"Couldn't we have just made her give up before she even started? She plays games every day, sometimes until 2 a.m.!"

"Don't worry, Rin-chan said the other day that her skin doesn't seem to be in good condition lately, so I don't think she'll stay up too late, maybe 1:30 at the latest."

"...Thank you for your comfort."

"Tasaki! Why aren't you here yet? Hurry up and move your things to your room, I can't carry them all!"

Tazaki Toru seemed to have witnessed this scene.

Golden rays of sunlight spread across the flat red earth of the continent, while far across the ocean in Australia, kangaroos began to throw punches.

Snap~ Snap~

The short-haired girl skipped over. Having grown accustomed to Tachibana Rin's listless and sullen expression every time she returned home, her bright smile now surprisingly suited her perfectly.

Indeed, a genuine smile is the most beautiful luxury on every girl's face.

"You have to come play games with me tonight!"

33. He can't lie yet.

It seems that Toru Tazaki has always had some misunderstandings about Rin Tachibana.

They thought she was a shut-in girl who could only talk in a high-pitched voice, had almost zero initiative, and whose first thing to do when she got home was to play video games. She was purely an accessory to Hina Aoki.

Prejudice is truly terrifying, a fact that Toru Tazaki has come to realize once again.

Rin Tachibana never practices the piano on her own at home, and it's extremely rare for her to even move. She absolutely refuses to listen to anyone.

However, she was willing to crawl under Tazaki Toru's new computer desk to tie up all the cables for him, and thoughtfully planned his desktop, placing random plush toys on it, and even changing his computer wallpaper to a game promotional image.

Even when tidying up the cables, if his head hits the table with a "thud" and he cries out in pain, it's immediately followed by an overly sweet "hehehe" laugh.

Therefore, Tazaki Toru concluded that, in some respects, Tachibana Rin should also be considered a persistent person.

Unfortunately, she misplaced her persistence.

The direct result was that for two consecutive nights, Tazaki Toru was forced to become Wa's junior in the game and was verbally abused by his teammates.

When the two of them humiliatingly ended their broadcast, a saccharine voice would still come through their earpieces saying, "Tsk! Tazaki, you're so bad!"

That's not all. After that, I have to play a few more two-player games with her and think of ways to make her happy.

Finally, Tachibana Rin sent several links, including videos on hero skill introductions, how to quickly apply empowerment, guides to the sixth boss's location, kill highlights, and a whole host of other nonsensical videos.

The longest one was a game streamer's recording that lasted for more than two hours.

Tazaki Toru was immediately amazed and even began to admire her "efforts".

That evening, Tazaki Toru finished his part-time job and took the train home alone.

After exiting Tsukishima Station, Tazaki Toru walked into a nearby convenience store and happened to see Aoki Hina standing at the checkout counter waiting to pay.

"Oh, what a coincidence, Tazaki-kun."

Tazaki Toru's eyes subconsciously swept to both sides of her, but he didn't see another figure. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Aoki Hina smiled knowingly and said, "As for Rin-chan, she's already gone home. She said she had some kind of game event to participate in, and she rushed home after leaving the station."

Upon hearing this, Tazaki Toru's face turned dark.

Thank you for your patronage.

Hina Aoki picked up the plastic bag, walked up to Toru Tazaki, tilted her head back and stared at Toru Tazaki's face for a while, then said softly, "Tazaki-kun, you look particularly tired lately."

Tazaki Toru chuckled twice, and just as he took a dozen beers from the shelf, Aoki Hina laughed heartily and lifted the plastic bag in her hand, which was filled with heavy beer cans.

So, Tazaki Toru and Aoki Hina walked out of the convenience store together. Seeing that she was carrying plastic bags in both hands, Tazaki Toru silently handed her his hand.

The girl was taken aback at first, then happily handed the plastic bag to him.

"Thank you."

Walking side by side through the deserted streets of a residential area, the moonlight was cunning and the streetlights were bright, but Toru Tazaki felt as if he were walking on a road leading to darkness.

At the end of this road lies a series of human touches in the online world, such as "Hey bro, give me a gun," "Can't even afford armor?", "Do you even know how to play?", and "xxx".

Typically, after finishing his part-time job each day, Tazaki Toru would go home and give Aoki Hina a composition lesson, then teach her how to use the music production software.

Hina Aoki was very dedicated to learning and had exceptional talent, often able to apply what she learned to other situations, so she learned very quickly, making it a pleasure for Toru Tazaki to teach her.

Many times, Aoki Hina can learn on her own without even needing Tazaki Toru's explanation, and Tazaki Toru doesn't have to worry about her at all.

After midnight, the painful time will begin.

Tazaki Toru was dragged into jail by Tachibana Rin, and it was common for him to stay there until two or three in the morning.

If you can end the broadcast at 1:30, that's considered leaving early.

If he could, Tazaki Toru would like to escape back to Kamiigusa right now and have a good sleep in that narrow, cramped, but warm and comforting little bathtub.

"Tazaki-kun, you haven't been sleeping well lately, have you? Is your body able to handle it?"

"Well... I actually get enough sleep and my body doesn't feel uncomfortable. What's unbearable is the late night, which seems to be a kind of mental torture."

"From this perspective, I admire Ms. Tachibana for her resilience in the face of pressure all this time."

"I'm sorry, but Rin-chan is a bit stubborn. She won't understand if you don't tell her the truth."

"I did say it, of course I did."

"Oh? How so?" Hina Aoki asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"I told them I couldn't play this game and I wanted to sleep."

What did she say?

Tazaki Toru took a deep breath, his expression very complicated: "Tell me not to be discouraged. No one is perfect. Where there's a will, there's a way."

"She even encouraged me!"

Upon hearing this, Hina Aoki couldn't help but giggle.

The joyful laughter startled the stray cat lying under the streetlamp, which darted away into the shadows and disappeared.

"Is it that funny?" Toru Tazaki said helplessly.