Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

It was nearing noon, and the band's rehearsal wouldn't start until evening, so there was still plenty of time. Tazaki Toru decided to borrow a small recording studio to practice alone.

Mr. Fujita, having other work to do with Bushido, left alone after seeing that Tazaki Toru's contract was going smoothly.

Tazaki Toru found a casual diner nearby and had a quick lunch.

Back to King Records headquarters.

It was break time at the company, and apart from the receptionist, most of the employees had gone out to eat, leaving only a few people dining in the break room.

Tazaki Toru had previously asked Mr. Fujinaga to put in a good word for him, and the staff let him through, pointing him in the direction of the recording studio.

In the evening, Tazaki Toru received the sheet music for the concert from Mr. Fujinaga.

In terms of music notation, Toru Tazaki has an almost photographic memory; he can master songs like those by playing them only two or three times.

Recalling the receptionist's directions, Toru Tazaki walked through a long corridor and saw a small recording studio located deep inside.

Just then, Tazaki Toru's ears twitched, as if he had heard something else.

Tazaki Toru's hearing was already exceptional, and in this quiet setting, any sound penetrated his ears with unparalleled clarity.

He subconsciously looked toward a certain room.

Tazaki Toru's gaze passed through the transparent window in the door and into the room, taking in the entire scene inside.

Inside the room, a petite girl was standing with her back to the door.

Judging from the clothes she was wearing, it wasn't hard to recognize that this was Ms. Minase, whom I had met that morning.

To Tazaki Toru's surprise, this voice actress and singer, who is said to be the most successful voice actress to have transformed in recent years, was hugging and cuddling with a man at that moment.

More accurately, from Tazaki Toru's perspective, it looked more like Ms. Minase was forcefully hugging the other person and refusing to let go.

The man even struggled slightly, but couldn't break free from Miss Minase's arms.

Tazaki Toru was taken aback, but quickly withdrew his body, gradually revealing a confused expression.

After blinking a few times, Tazaki Toru poked his head out again.

Okay, he wasn't mistaken.

Such openly intimate acts of hugging and embracing within the company are probably not something someone with his junior status should be able to witness.

It felt like I'd stumbled upon a senior figure in the industry having an affair.

Tazaki Toru quickly averted his gaze, couldn't help but bend down, hide his head under the viewing window by the door, lower his footsteps, and impatiently walk away.

It wasn't until they had walked quite a distance that Tazaki Toru finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He subconsciously turned around to look at the room, but the door was still tightly closed. It seemed that the two people inside had not noticed his presence.

Tazaki Toru sighed softly, feeling quite sorry for Kohinata Mika.

I don't know if this counts as a kind of idol scandal, as Tazaki Toru doesn't really understand this aspect.

However, it's best not to tell anyone about this.

First, they didn't want to get into trouble.

Secondly, wantonly spreading other people's private affairs is ultimately not in line with Tazaki Toru's personality.

Tazaki Toru isn't a gossipy person, and it's none of his business to interfere in his senior's private life. Besides, the other person isn't young, so it's normal for him to have a lover.

If it were someone else, they might have been trembling with fear as they peeked through the doorway.

But Toru Tazaki was completely indifferent to such matters. He only wanted to do his job well and didn't want to care about anything else, nor could he.

She just wondered what kind of expression Kohinata Mika would have if she knew about this.

But soon, Tazaki Toru made up his mind.

Given Mika Kohinata's kind and gentle nature, she would most likely feel happy for her, even if it was just out of curiosity.

In this industry, you have to know when to turn a blind eye to certain things.

It's impossible to expect all female voice actresses in the world to be without boyfriends in private.

After taking a deep breath, Tazaki Toru put the meaningless matter out of his mind and took out the sheet music to start practicing.

……

……

By evening, all the members of Ms. Minase's band had gathered in the recording studio, and Mr. Fujinaga gave a brief introduction to Toru Tazaki.

Due to time constraints, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Toru Tazaki joined the rehearsal as the keyboardist.

Playing solo is fundamentally different from rehearsing with a band. Many technically skilled musicians become more restricted and hesitant after joining a band.

But for Toru Tazaki, this is practically a non-existent problem.

Tazaki Toru's greatest talent is listening to other people's music; as he has said many times, he has excellent hearing.

Relying on his extraordinary hearing, Toru Tazaki was able to easily change his rhythm and integrate into this band that had nothing to do with him.

So much so that when the first song rehearsal was over, the band members didn't feel a sense of incongruity at all, as if they had never experienced a change in members.

Tazaki Toru wasn't exactly a talkative person; the only thing he could accurately convey to others was his piano music.

People may lie and pretend, but music cannot.

Tazaki Toru's piano playing, just like his personality, exudes an approachable and friendly aura.

With this shared understanding, rehearsals became much easier.

The first rehearsal proceeded smoothly, with composer Fujinaga providing instructions on-site.

Ms. Minase did not appear during the first half of the rehearsal. Instead, she was in the small recording studio next door, receiving one-on-one solo singing instruction from her vocal coach.

They joined in the second half.

When Ms. Minase arrived at the recording studio, Toru Tazaki saw a man who looked somewhat familiar.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was daytime, and the man was seen embracing and hugging Ms. Minase in the small room.

The other party must have come specifically to see Ms. Minase's rehearsal.

Through his conversation with Mr. Fujinaga, Toru Tazaki learned of the other's identity, who seemed to be a signed artist with King Records as well.

She works in the same industry as Ms. Minase.

However, Toru Tazaki had no interest in this and remained fully focused on playing his instrument.

The rehearsal continued until 10 p.m. When Mr. Fujinaga announced that the rehearsal was over and everyone was done, Toru Tazaki still didn't feel like it was real.

Time was passing faster than he had imagined.

This is Toru Tazaki's old problem.

Once your fingers touch the piano keys, your perception of your surroundings becomes blurred.

"Tazaki-kun, you've had a hard day."

"Yes, you've worked hard too."

"Where does Tazaki-kun live? You must be getting home very late by now, since you're taking the train. It's okay to take a taxi; the company will reimburse the fare."

Perhaps it was because of Tazaki Toru's exceptional performance today that Mr. Fujinaga was determined to hold onto this big fish, Tazaki Toru, and he was exceptionally enthusiastic.

“I live on Tsukishima,” Toru Tazaki said.

"Eh?"

Ms. Minase, who was standing to the side, suddenly looked at Toru Tazaki with a very strange expression on her face.

Fujinaga nodded slightly: "It's a bit of a distance, I'll call you a car."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Fujinaga."

Upon hearing this, Tazaki Toru did not hesitate to agree.

Mr. Fujinaga patted Toru Tazaki on the shoulder and laughed heartily.

"It's a small matter, it's all a small matter."

“Mr. Tazaki, you live on Tsukishima Island.” Ms. Minase suddenly spoke to Toru Tazaki.

"Yes."

Hey hey~~~

Tazaki Toru didn't understand the meaning behind that meaningful "Hey~~".

Is living on Tsukishima something to be surprised about?

Tazaki Toru didn't seem to care, straightened up slightly, and slowly said:

"Ms. Minase, please forgive my rudeness, but I would like to ask you for a favor."

"Oh?"

The woman in front of him looked at Tazaki Toru with great interest.

Although the man was good-looking, he was definitely not her type.

Therefore, Tazaki Toru did not feel the kind of aggressive gaze that other girls had when he saw Minase.

"It is said that the tickets for this concert were sold out long ago."

"Yes, sold out."

Miss Minase looked quite pleased with herself.

Tazaki Toru paused for a moment and said, "I don't know if there are any tickets left. I would like to request a ticket, preferably a good seat if possible."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Minase raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Tazaki Toru remained standing there, neither humble nor arrogant, with a gentle expression.

"You come to play the piano, is it just for the ticket?"

Tazaki Toru hesitated for a moment, then nodded noncommittally.

"Give it away?"

"Yes."

Seeing that Toru Tazaki admitted it so readily, Ms. Minase looked at Toru Tazaki with some surprise.