Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

"Funny! Of course it's funny!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen Tazaki-kun with this kind of expression. I thought Tazaki-kun was someone who could remain calm no matter what happened."

"I'm not a robot, of course I have emotional fluctuations."

"Ah! That's not what I meant. It's just that Tazaki-kun rarely shows his emotions on his face, so it feels very novel." The girl looked at Tazaki Toru's face and said earnestly.

"Besides, I've known for a long time that Tazaki-kun is a very emotional person."

"I see."

Tazaki Toru's voice was listless.

The girl lowered her head slightly, her lips moving softly as she said, "Yes, because Tazaki-kun's songs are truly as gentle as spring."

Seeing that Tazaki Toru did not respond, Aoki Hina thought for a moment, then suddenly stopped and stood still.

The platform shoes beside his ear stopped making a sound, and Toru Tazaki couldn't help but turn around to look, only to see Hina Aoki standing quietly in the same spot.

“Hey, if Tazaki-kun is really troubled like this, I have a way that might make Rin-chan restrain herself.”

The girl was standing under a streetlamp, the warm yellow light shining on her, making her white top seem to be covered with a layer of gold, as if she were standing in the center of a stage.

Tazaki Toru recalled that stage play, remembering her singing and acting.

"A solution? What solution?"

She smiled and said, "It's not exactly a good method, but Rin is a good girl. If you just trick her a little, she'll become timid again and won't bother you anymore."

In that case, the man in front of her might be able to free up more time to teach her how to compose.

Even so, it seemed that Aoki Hina didn't really want him to agree with her at this moment.

The girl stood still, quietly watching him.

After a long silence, Tazaki Toru looked into Aoki Hina's beautiful eyes and slowly shook his head.

"I'm not good at lying, nor do I want to lie."

34. I feel like Rin-chan stole Tazaki-kun away.

People always lie.

Tazaki Toru's life up to this point has not been entirely without lies.

At least, he tried his best to avoid telling those hurtful lies.

If possible, Tazaki Toru still wants to reach some kind of consensus with Tachibana Rin, and then have a proper talk with her after they get back.

The woman in front of me, Ms. Aoki, had her hands behind her back, her black platform shoes lightly kicking the ground, stirring up a little dust.

The girl standing under the lamplight raised her lovely and captivating smile, as if she wanted to use that smile to capture something around her.

"What? I was even thinking of helping Tazaki-kun, but it turns out you're so happy you've forgotten all about home. In the end, I'm the one who made a fool of myself. How embarrassing."

Tazaki Toru smiled wryly and said, "Miss Aoki, you don't need to tease me. I just don't like expressing my feelings in a roundabout way."

"Is it really that straightforward?"

"Because I am not good with words and cannot be eloquent, I can't say a single word to please a girl, so I can only rely on honesty to interact with people."

She stared into the man's eyes, trying to find some clues of cunning in them.

But Toru Tazaki's eyes are like black gems embedded in ancient murals, whether you admire them or scrutinize them.

They did not show the slightest wavering.

After a long silence, Hina Aoki sighed softly, muttering to herself in a barely audible voice:

"I see. This is what is often referred to as the unconscious system. This is the first time I have ever seen it."

Tazaki Toru looked at her with a puzzled expression.

The girl slowly walked towards Tazaki Toru, stopped a meter in front of him, and showed a kind smile: "I understand, then I will go and persuade Rin-chan."

"Eh?"

"Although I wouldn't call Rin-chan an old friend, we were classmates after all, and we got along quite well. If I asked her to speak up, she would most likely be understanding."

"Look, even the fact that Tazaki-kun moved in was only because of me, wasn't it?"

"If that's what Miss Aoki says, then it's true."

"And, to be honest, I do have a tiny bit of dissatisfaction with Rin-chan lately, really just a tiny bit."

Hina Aoki raised her hand, pinching her index finger and thumb together to emphasize what she meant by "just a tiny bit".

"Did you have a fight?" Toru Tazaki asked bluntly.

"There was no argument, everyone said it was just a tiny bit."

"why?"

From Tazaki Toru's perspective, the two were inseparable, like twins.

"Hmm... It's because she keeps bothering you to play games that my teaching progress has fallen behind."

"My goal is to create a piece like Haruhi Kage within three months, so I'm thinking of getting more teaching time for myself."

It turns out it was selfish motives.

Tazaki Toru could understand, after all, Aoki Hina was a girl who valued music more than anything else. If Tachibana Rin was also studying music, Aoki Hina probably wouldn't say anything.

Rin Kachika's mind is only focused on hitting tiles.

"Don't you think so too, Tazaki-kun? You'd probably prefer to be my personal tutor rather than play games with Rin-chan, right?"

If she insists on saying it that way, then she's not wrong.

However, if given a choice, Toru Tazaki would prefer to have more personal time.

However, considering the condition attached to his move-in was to teach Hina Aoki to compose music, Toru Tazaki was not a person who broke his word, so he had no objection.

"When I get home, I'll have a good talk with Rin-chan and ask her to give you more personal time."

"If it really doesn't make sense, Tazaki-kun, don't worry. After a while, once the project is officially finalized, we'll mostly be busy practicing every day, and she won't have as much energy to get addicted to games."

"……perhaps."

The young lady Aoki in front of him always seemed to display a shrewdness that surprised Toru Tazaki at certain moments.

Looking back now, it all seemed so natural that she convinced him to move into Tsukishima and even got him to agree to teach her composition, leading to the situation that Hina Aoki had hoped for.

She seemed to be a girl truly blessed by God, possessing a certain allure that could bewitch others.

Tazaki Toru sighed deeply and lamented, "Miss Aoki, it would be better if you were a boy."

"Huh? What does this mean?"

The girl opened her round eyes, her curiosity practically bursting forth.

"That way I can hold your hands without any worries and convey my gratitude to you without causing any misunderstanding."

Hina Aoki blinked her bright eyes, a hint of slyness flashing across her face: "Then you can do that now too."

"No, it's better to leave. There's a difference between men and women, and besides..." Tazaki Toru took a step back.

"and?"

"No, it's nothing, let's go back."

Tazaki Toru turned and left. Aoki Hina watched his retreating figure for a while, then took light steps and followed him.

……

……

After returning home, Toru Tazaki put the beer from the plastic bag into the refrigerator.

"I'll go talk to Rin-chan about it now."

"Yes, I'll talk to her about it later, after all, it's my business," Tazaki Toru replied.

"Tazaki-kun is too honest; he'll suffer because of that."

Tazaki Toru smiled but didn't reply.

Hina Aoki went up to the second floor and knocked on Rin Tachibana's door, and soon received a response.

"Rin-chan, I'm here! What are you doing?"

Inside the room, Tachibana Rin lay on the bed with her upper body up, her legs pressed tightly against the wall, and her hands were busy playing a game.

"Still don't understand after reading this? Stretch."

"Oh right, is Tazaki back?"

Hina Aoki pulled over a chair and sat down.

"I was just about to talk about him."

"Hmm... well, you tell me then, oh dear, it's dead again."

Rin Tachibana puffed out her cheeks, tossed her phone aside, clenched her little fists, and slowly pounded the sides of her thighs.

"Um, Rin-chan... about Tazaki-kun."

"Oh dear, what's wrong with him?"

Hina Aoki didn't have those kinds of thoughts about Toru Tazaki. As she said before, she did have a tiny bit of dissatisfaction with Rin Tachibana, which was negligible.

The source of this dissatisfaction is also extremely obvious.

"Before that, I need to apologize to Rin-chan."

"Huh? Why?" Tachibana Rin turned her head slightly, still with the back of her head against the sheet, and glanced at Aoki Hina beside her.

"I'm afraid I'll start to hate Rin-chan, so I feel I have to apologize."

Rin Tachibana was startled for a moment, then quickly turned over and sat upright in front of Hina Aoki.

"Huh? Did I do something to upset you?"

"Hmm..." Hina Aoki hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Rin Tachibana threw herself into Hina Aoki's arms, pouting in a voice that she thought was sweet but was slightly shrill: "Hey hey hey hey~~~ Don't hate me! I don't know why, but I apologize first."