Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

"The store manager is still the same as always. As soon as you walk in, you see him sleeping with an indecent magazine covering his face."

Hina Aoki chuckled, "You really haven't changed at all."

"Speaking of which, how did Tazaki-kun come up with the idea of ​​going to SHELTER?"

"I didn't go there on purpose. I just wandered around there for some reason. I borrowed a Blu-ray disc from the shop manager and he made me his free laborer."

"Because Tazaki-kun's hourly wage for his part-time job was very high, if I had that opportunity, I would also make you work hard."

"But you said you borrowed a CD?"

"Well, the shop manager had a Blu-ray of the stage play starring Ms. Aoki, so I shamelessly borrowed it."

"Eh?"

Hina Aoki had no idea that Toru Tazaki had gone there for this very reason.

Rounding up, wasn't it all because of her that he missed the last train and had to stay overnight at the internet cafe?

Rin-chan, you've really misunderstood him!

"Didn't we agree beforehand that we'd write songs for Ms. Aoki, so naturally, the more things that can provide inspiration, the better?"

“Tazaki-kun…”

He has me in his heart!

Kuwuwuwu... I like it.

Her heart pounded as Aoki Hina suddenly remembered what Tachibana Rin had said earlier.

Perhaps it's true, as she said, that if he does nothing, he'll eventually be snatched away by another girl.

Just imagining that scene filled her with an unpleasant sense of unease.

Hina Aoki slowly took a step forward, raising her round and cute face. Her cat-like eyes, reflecting the man's face, seemed to be slightly hot deep within them.

"Why bother looking at the images burned onto a CD when I'm standing right in front of you?"

"That's something only my fans would watch if they couldn't see me every day."

"Tazaki-kun..."

"Can't you take a closer look at me, standing here, alive and well?"

358. Go ahead and flirt in front of Rin-nee!

"Can't you take a closer look at me, standing here, alive and well?"

When Aoki Hina said this, her cheeks were tilted up.

Her beautiful, moist eyes were like a shimmering lake, rippling with waves stirred by a gentle breeze, spreading out in concentric circles.

He wished he could be bound to her, sinking together to the bottom of the warm lake, never to wake up again.

Hina Aoki was short, while Toru Tazaki was much taller than her, so tall that even when she stood on tiptoe, she could only touch his chin with her head.

If Tazaki Toru were willing, he could easily kiss her cheek by simply bending down.

But he wouldn't do such a thing.

She understands.

"I've been watching it all along."

It seems that the "seeing" that Tazaki Toru speaks of is fundamentally different from what the girl longs for.

What Aoki Hina wanted was to be special, to receive a unique gaze.

She didn't want him to scatter his extra energy on other girls; she wanted him to focus solely on her.

But Hina Aoki knew that was impossible.

The gentle nature of Tazaki Toru is precisely formed by this treatment of "equality" and "fairness".

If she lost this underlying quality, Aoki Hina might not feel her heart race because of his gentleness as she does now.

That's why, even after she realized Tachibana Rin's feelings for Tazaki Toru, Aoki Hina was still able to maintain her composure.

However, this feeling was truly contradictory for Hina Aoki, who was deeply caught in an emotional vortex.

Even if he cast his gaze on other girls, like Tachibana Rin, Aoki Hina would only grieve in her heart, never considering withdrawing from the relationship.

Although this is just Aoki Hina's speculation, it is likely that Tachibana Rin or Kohinata Mika also share the same thoughts.

Who could blame them? Tazaki Toru was the man they, the band girls, longed for day and night.

"Are you really watching me?"

"I'm watching."

Seeing that he was serious, Aoki Hina slowly blinked her eyelids, then slightly lifted her skirt and slowly twirled in place.

"Then tell me, what makes me different today?"

Tazaki Toru looked down at the girl in front of him.

A lovely face, delicate ears, and jet-black hair styled into two simple ponytails.

Unlike Mika Kohinata's naive demeanor, this ponytail on her doesn't look rustic at all; instead, it gives her an indescribable air of cleverness and cunning.

She seemed to be deliberately acting like a sassy hot girl, but her every move revealed a hint of shrewdness.

"hairstyle?"

"wrong."

"Makeup?"

"Something's not right."

So, Tazaki Toru began to scrutinize the girl in front of him from head to toe.

With her hands behind her back and a beaming smile on her face, she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Tazaki Toru's gaze.

"I changed to a new shower gel," Toru Tazaki added.

"That's not right."

"That's either a fresh manicure on your right hand, or a lipstick that's a shade darker than usual."

Hina Aoki shook her head again.

"This isn't right either?"

Seeing Tazaki Toru's thoughtful expression, the girl's smile grew even wider.

In the end, Toru Tazaki had no choice but to give up.

"So... what's the answer?"

"Tazaki-kun, have you forgotten that I'm a girl who's good at disguising myself?"

"Where do you even begin to explain this?" Tazaki Toru asked, puzzled.

Hina Aoki sticks out her tongue slightly.

"I'm sorry, I actually lied."

"You're right about everything."

"........."

"Thank you. It turns out you really were looking at me carefully."

Looking at the lively and spirited girl in front of him, Toru Tazaki was momentarily speechless.

As she said, she was a real girl standing in front of him, playful and cute, whose soft skin he could touch with just a reach of his hand.

Instead of being annoyed by the girl's "deception," Tazaki Toru burst out laughing.

Such laughter was truly rare for Tazaki Toru, as if she had told the funniest joke in the world, which was why the usually composed Tazaki Toru showed such a cheerful and hearty smile.

"Tazaki-kun?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mock Ms. Aoki. I was just a little surprised that Ms. Aoki has such an interesting side."

"Thank you……"

"Thank me?"

Hina Aoki was extremely surprised.

Tazaki Toru had a gentle smile on his lips, and just seeing that smile seemed to wash away the gloom of the entire winter.

It's like stuffing warm sunshine into the cotton wadding of a pillowcase, so that in the dead of night, you can have a whole dream about spring.

"Yes, after seeing a different side of Miss Aoki."

"I feel like I've gained more inspiration to write songs for you."

"Tell me, shouldn't I thank you?"

The girl stood there, stunned. Her bright cat-like eyes contracted and swayed in a very unsteady manner. Her heart pounded in her chest, and with her blood rushing to her head, Aoki Hina's cheeks were already flushed.

She meant to flirt with him and show off her cuteness, but instead he took the initiative.

He knows exactly what he wants to hear.

Hina Aoki even suspected that he had secretly mastered the ability to read minds, and could always say the most brilliant things at the most brilliant moments.

The opposite sex I like, the music I like.

For most people, these are two completely unrelated things.

However, Hina Aoki was able to feel the happiness brought by both of these things at the same time.

Is there anything in the world that makes her happier than this?

There probably aren't any left.

Faced with Tazaki Toru's gentle and calm gaze, Aoki Hina suddenly lowered her head and took two or three steps back in a panic.

After a while, once she had calmed down, she raised her face and cast a complicated look in her eyes.

"Tazaki-kun, you'd better not say things like that to me."