Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

Seeing that the rehearsal was going exceptionally well, Mr. Fujinaga, sitting in the sound room behind the transparent glass, nodded with great satisfaction.

His eyes were fixed on Toru Tazaki at the very back of the band, and the more he looked, the more smug he became.

My luck is incredible! Even in a situation where all options seem to have failed, I managed to find a glimmer of hope.

He wasn't the only one who held this thought.

As the main character of this concert, Ms. Minase was also aware of this.

At first, she thought that even if it was a substitute, the person Mr. Fujinaga found was too young and might make mistakes due to nervousness because of a lack of stage experience.

After these days of rehearsals, no matter how harsh the standards, Tazaki Toru's performance can be described as flawless, with no faults to be found.

During halftime.

Mr. Totsuka suddenly appeared and brought gifts for everyone present.

Now that things have come to this, Tazaki Toru is certain that the other party and Ms. Minase probably have that kind of relationship.

The staff present, including Mr. Fujinaga, were likely aware of the situation to some extent.

No wonder that day, Mr. Totsuka said he hoped he would keep it a secret, but he didn't make any real threats.

The industry is too complex, and what Toru Tazaki saw was only the tip of the iceberg.

In short, this man exudes an unfathomable aura, so it's best to stay away from him.

Tazaki Toru thought to himself.

"Tazaki-kun, come over here for a moment." Mr. Fujinaga beckoned to Tazaki Toru.

"Yes."

When Tazaki Toru arrived at Mr. Fujinaga and Ms. Minase's side, he thought they would give him some work instructions, but he only heard them chatting.

Mr. Fujinaga kept stuffing the snacks that Mr. Totsuka had brought into his hands, and his eyes were practically gleaming with greed as he looked at Toru Tazaki.

Miss Minase ate the cake, chewing her cheeks, and swallowed it all in a few bites.

This hearty way of eating reminded Tazaki Toru of Ms. Watanabe from Mujica.

If possible, Toru Tazaki hoped that the girl in front of him, Ms. Minase, could teach him some tips on how to eat without making his cheeks swell.

Ms. Minase glanced sideways and asked curiously, "Tazaki-kun, have you ever performed on stage before?"

Tazaki Toru was slightly taken aback and could only reply slowly, "There are some, but that was a long time ago."

Miss Minase smiled immediately: "You don't look very old. How long could it be? Perhaps it was at the school's cultural festival?"

He could hardly offer much explanation on this matter.

Just as Tazaki Toru was pondering how to answer, Mr. Totsuka, who was not far away, walked towards them.

Whether it was Tazaki Toru's imagination or not, he felt as if he had been scrutinized.

"What brings you here today?" Miss Minase looked up at him.

"I was recording next door, and I came to check it out after I finished."

He then looked at Tazaki Toru, remained silent for a while, and then quietly said, "Mr. Tazaki's piano playing is very beautiful. I... quite like it."

Tazaki looked surprised and stood up to thank him.

The other person nodded slightly, as if they had come specifically to say that.

This made Ms. Minase puff out her cheeks slightly and glare at Toru Tazaki with a hint of dissatisfaction.

……

……

Rehearsal ended early today, and there was still some time before the trams stopped running, so Tazaki Toru politely declined Mr. Fujinaga's offer to call him a taxi.

Tazaki Toru was not a person who liked extravagance, although he understood that Mr. Fujinaga was doing this mostly in order to keep him here.

But since the contract was already signed, he naturally wouldn't break it. Mr. Fujinaga just likes to worry about useless things.

Tazaki Toru could understand it.

After saying goodbye to the staff on site, Toru Tazaki went to the elevator alone.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Tazaki Toru could only catch a glimpse of a pair of legs pressed together.

He quickly pressed the button, and the elevator doors slowly opened, allowing Tazaki Toru to see the owner of those legs.

She was wearing a dark hoodie, a semi-transparent pleated tulle skirt, and platform shoes.

She was Miss Aimei, whom I had met once before.

Miss Aimi's record label is also KING RECORDS, something Tazaki Toru already knew.

I just didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that we bumped into each other in the elevator again.

The woman with reddish-brown hair, whose face had been expressionless, suddenly showed a hint of surprise.

She clearly hadn't expected to meet this handsome young man in such a place.

Tazaki Toru stepped into the elevator and nodded slightly, saying, "Good evening, Miss Aimi."

"...Oh, oh, good evening."

What was his name again?

Name, name...

Tsk, I can't remember.

The elevator arrived at the first floor, and Miss Aimei stepped out first.

If we met elsewhere, she might still be able to put on a composed and experienced air.

But it just so happens to be an elevator.

Tazaki Toru walked behind, tactfully slowing his pace. In terms of reading people's expressions, Tazaki Toru was no less adept than Aoki Hina.

The hooded female voice actress in front of me walked quickly toward the company's main entrance, and coincidentally bumped into a man and a woman standing side by side.

The person who made her pause was Mr. Totsuka and Ms. Minase, who had come downstairs not long ago.

With no one around, Miss Minase clung to the man's arm without any hesitation.

It felt like the toilet in an izakaya was always full, so I had to leave the shop and sneak into the dimly lit next door to relieve myself, only to stumble upon a couple passionately kissing deep in the alley.

Extremely embarrassing.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Ms. Minase quickly let go of his arm. The man next to her secretly breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his arm, which was sore from being held so tightly.

"Oh! Aimi-chan, what a coincidence! You just finished work too? And Mr. Tazaki..."

Having been called out, Tazaki Toru couldn't ignore it and remain invisible, so he had no choice but to go up and greet the two of them.

"Huh? Do Aimi-chan and Mr. Tazaki know each other?"

Miss Minase lightly covered her lips, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them, her bright, lively eyes blinking incessantly.

“Tada-kun and I are old acquaintances.”

They had met last year, so there was nothing wrong with what she said, and she spoke with confidence.

“My name is Tazaki,” Tazaki Toru added from the side.

Miss Aimei's mouth twisted, her eyebrows furrowed, and she made a very obvious "tsk" sound.

As expected of a veteran, he can easily make people gasp in public, which shows his great courage.

Could she have been a delinquent girl before?

"So that's how it is."

Miss Minase smiled sweetly and tugged at the sleeve of the man beside her affectionately.

"Kazuto-san, wait here for me, I'll go get the car."

Mr. Totsuka nodded silently.

They glanced at Tazaki Toru and the other person, then silently looked away.

Not a word.

Tazaki Toru clearly sensed that the atmosphere had become somewhat strangely awkward.

Just as he was about to reluctantly take his leave, Miss Aimi beside him suddenly threw her handbag into Tazaki Toru's arms and loudly proclaimed:

"You wait here too, I'll go get the car."

"what?"

Tazaki Toru looked completely bewildered, but then noticed that Miss Aimi beside him kept giving him meaningful glances.

For a moment, Tazaki Toru mistakenly thought he was still a student. The classmate diagonally behind him tossed him a note and winked at him, asking him to pass it on to someone else.

"Oh."

Although he was a little confused, all three of them were veterans, and Tazaki Toru couldn't afford to offend any of them.

So, Tazaki Toru stood there, somewhat at a loss, clutching a woman's handbag.

I always feel like I've been inexplicably dragged into a love triangle. Tazaki Toru is really bad at this kind of troublesome thing, and a love triangle is the most troublesome of all.

If it were any other female voice actress, it might ignite a burning desire for gossip.

However, Toru Tazaki was keen on such matters and did not want to get involved in the love-hate relationships between the veterans.

I have neither the idea nor the interest.

The two women left one after the other, while Mr. Totsuka remained standing quietly with his eyes lowered, saying nothing.

The other person's gloomy aura of alienation from the surroundings seemed even more intense at this moment.

“Mr. Tazaki,” he suddenly said.

"Yes."

How many years have you been playing the piano?

Tazaki Toru thought he would say something about Miss Minase or Miss Aimi.

After all, Tazaki Toru had witnessed the confrontation between the two just now.