Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

Tazaki Toru originally thought that Aoki Hina would feel disappointed because of this.

Surprisingly, Hina Aoki did not show any disappointment on her face.

"Moreover, I think this is a good thing for Tazaki-kun. His talent has been noticed and he has received a corresponding reward."

I am genuinely happy for you.

"So, Tazaki-kun, please don't say sorry."

Mika Kohinata had said the same thing to him.

For a fleeting moment, Tazaki Toru was momentarily dazed.

He then realized that the girls around him were actually happy for his progress.

Mika Kohinata is like that, and so is Hina Aoki.

It seemed that they were more overjoyed that Tazaki Toru was appreciated than that they themselves were being given important positions.

Just like Tazaki Toru felt genuinely happy because their efforts had been rewarded.

The same principle applies here.

Tazaki Toru gazed at the girl in front of him, his eyes as gentle as ever, yet with a hint of other emotions within them.

"Thank you, Miss Aoki."

Aoki was slightly surprised by Tazaki Toru's sincere thanks.

She was simply expressing her truest thoughts, and she saw an expression that had never been seen on a man's face before.

Indeed, only heartfelt truths can truly touch a man's heart.

Miss Tachibana, who was left aside, felt a little uneasy.

You two are gazing at each other so affectionately, but what about me, Lin-jie?

Why do I feel like I'm being superfluous in this scene?

What happened to the promised three...?

375. Have I become a burden to Tou-kun?

The following afternoon.

Tazaki Toru went to the recording studio rented by Bushido and discussed the future direction of his compositions with Mr. Fujita and others.

Afterwards, Mr. Fujita asked Tazaki Toru how it went.

Tazaki Toru knew he was referring to the rehearsals he did with Ms. Minase's music team.

Mr. Fujita seemed quite pleased to learn that everything was going well for Tazaki Toru over there.

This time, Fujinaga really owed him a huge favor.

After all, musicians of Tazaki Toru's caliber are not easy to find.

He's made a killing!

Afterwards, Tazaki Toru said goodbye to Fujita and left the meeting room. He saw Kohinata Mika sitting alone in the rest area, eating a cheap pineapple bun she had bought from a convenience store.

The girl held her hand in front of her chin, catching the occasional bread crumbs falling.

There were no other band members around.

Tazaki Toru pondered this in his heart and slowly walked over.

"Mika."

"Um... Toru-kun, oh no, I mean, Tazaki-sensei."

The girl lifted her cheek, gently licked the bread crumbs stuck to her lips, and grinned sheepishly.

In such public places, especially during work hours, Mika Kohinata always pays close attention to the social distance between herself and Toru Tazaki.

She was afraid that her identity as a female voice actress would cause unnecessary trouble for Toru Tazaki.

Tazaki Toru looked around: "Why are you alone? Where is everyone else?"

Rin Tachibana and Hina Aoki leave home almost every morning to report to their agency, and then come to the recording studio.

Their jobs were relatively easy, and they were often the ones who arrived first.

"Yang-chan and Coco-chan haven't arrived yet. Hina-chan accidentally spilled her drink and got her sleeves dirty, so she went to the restroom with Rin-chan to wash them."

Tazaki Toru then noticed the spilled drink on the floor and thought to himself that even Aoki Hina could be absent-minded sometimes.

"May I sit down?"

"Um... um."

Mika Kohinata nodded.

After Tazaki Toru sat down, he began rummaging through his backpack. Kohinata Mika, while munching on a pineapple bun, couldn't help but cast a curious glance at him.

Suddenly, Toru Tazaki took a ticket out of his backpack.

He received a message from Ms. Minase in the morning, went to her agency, and obtained an inside ticket to the concert.

These kinds of internal tickets are mostly given to Ms. Minase's industry friends who have professional interactions with her, or related staff members.

These are the so-called "connections seats," which are very difficult for ordinary fans to get their hands on.

"Here, take this."

Mika Kohinata paused for a moment, then subconsciously put down the bread and wiped her hands with a wet wipe.

When she saw what Tazaki Toru was handing her, her expression froze instantly.

"……This is?"

The girl couldn't help but lift her face, unable to hide the shock in her eyes.

"You've always wanted tickets to Ms. Minase's live show, haven't you?"

"Tou-kun, where did you get this? It's amazing!"

Mika Kohinata's reaction was exactly what Toru Tazaki had predicted.

Just seeing the girl's smile made Tazaki Toru feel that he had been rewarded.

Even if there were no reward afterward, Toru Tazaki felt it was worth it.

"I've accepted the job of filling in for Ms. Minase at the concert, which I mentioned last time."

"...Huh?"

Tazaki Toru smiled faintly, "It didn't cost any money, so you don't need to worry about it. Just accept it."

However, the smile on Mika Kohinata's face slowly faded at this moment.

This subtle change in expression was truly unexpected by Toru Tazaki.

Her slender, beautiful fingers trembled slightly as she gripped the corner of the ticket, hesitant to use force.

The girl spoke in a slightly somber voice, unlike her usual tone: "Tou-kun, did you decide to take this job just to get the tickets?"

Tazaki Toru keenly sensed that something was wrong with Kohinata Mika, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he nodded honestly: "I guess so."

"........."

The girl in front of him opened her mouth, and deep in her pupils was reflected the gentle smile of Tazaki Toru.

For a moment, he was speechless.

"...It's all, it's all my fault."

Upon hearing this, Tazaki Toru froze in place.

It wasn't until the girl's narrow eyes began to moisten that Toru Tazaki finally showed surprise and was at a loss for what to do.

The girl quickly sniffed, a strange sense of guilt in her expression, and slowly lowered her head.

"Tou-kun said it before, right? You wanted to focus on your current job and were planning to decline."

Tazaki Toru did indeed say that.

However, she changed her mind after learning that Mika Kohinata had not won the ticket to see Ms. Minase.

Tazaki Toru thought she would be happy.

"You said you wanted to refuse that job, didn't you? But because of what I said..."

"Did I make you do something you didn't want to do?"

When her face lifted again, Toru Tazaki saw the self-reproach and unease hidden beneath the girl's crying expression.

"Have I become a burden to Toru-kun?"

Tazaki Toru never imagined that Kohinata Mika would have such thoughts; he simply wanted to make Kohinata Mika happy.

He almost forgot that Mika Kohinata was just that kind of girl.

She worried that Tazaki Toru would make concessions and compromises for her sake, distorting his original intentions to do things he didn't want to do.

If this continues, we will only keep owing Tazaki Toru a debt.

Can she continue to stay by his side as an equal?

It wasn't until tears fell from the corners of her eyes onto the back of her hand that Mika Kohinata realized she was crying again. She hurriedly raised the back of her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Her small nose was slightly red, and she looked at Toru Tazaki while sobbing:

"But I know it's wrong, yet I still..."

"I'm still so happy, incredibly happy."

"I'm really... terrible for having such thoughts."

The girl shook her head, clutching the ticket in her palm, wanting to return it, but unable to let go.

Despite her tearful expression, Tazaki Toru truly sensed the joy emanating from her.

Tazaki Toru slowly exhaled.

He was relieved.