Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

"I haven't fallen asleep yet. Could it be that Miss Yang is talking to me in my dream?"

On the other end of the phone, Yang Gongfei Na became nervous and stammered, afraid that Tazaki Toru was complaining about her midnight disturbance.

"I was just joking."

Yang Gongfei Na finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Miss Hitomi, why aren't you resting so late?" Tazaki Toru asked.

"Ugh... I can't sleep."

Why not try counting sheep?

"I've already tried it."

So she really can count sheep?

"Miss Yang called. It couldn't be to discuss how to fall asleep quickly, could it?"

"Of course not!"

After speaking, the girl paused for a long time before asking, "Did I disturb your rest?"

"It's alright, I just finished work."

"Hey? Still working so late?"

Yang Gongfei was extremely surprised.

She went home early, took a shower, ate dinner, tossed and turned in bed, and then drifted off to sleep while holding a comic book before finally managing to make that call.

While this seemingly silly routine of hers was unfolding at home, Ms. Tazaki was actually working diligently the whole time?

Miss Yang was truly startled.

I wondered if Mr. Tazaki was just playing a trick on me because he thought I was easy to fool.

Just as Miss Hitomiya was in a daze, Toru Tazaki's voice came again.

"I'm sorry, I've been busy with other work lately and haven't been able to come see you."

"But I think that MyGO can definitely succeed even without my guidance."

Even though she hadn't clearly explained her purpose, he seemed to be able to read her mind.

It's as if she has become a romance comic book for him to browse at will, and he can see through every single title on the table of contents, inside and out, with no secrets left.

This strange feeling stirred a peculiar rhythm within the girl's heart.

She slowly tightened her grip on the phone in her hand.

Beautiful brown eyes, the deepest pupils gradually transforming into deep vortexes, swirling quietly and solitarily.

"I haven't worked hard enough and am far from meeting Mr. Tazaki's standards."

"Even though Mr. Tazaki has done so much for me, I haven't grown up yet and I'm completely unable to stand on my own."

"That's why Mr. Tazaki was disappointed in me and never came to the recording studio to listen to me sing again..."

The girl's sudden rambling startled Toru Tazaki.

He didn't seem to have said anything like that from beginning to end.

What exactly did she interpret it as?

Just as Tazaki Toru was thinking about how to answer, Mr. Fujinaga's voice came from not far away.

"Tazaki-kun, the taxi has arrived. Thank you for rehearsing so late today."

"Mr. Fujinaga, you don't need to be so polite. This is my job, and since I've taken on the task, I naturally can't let everyone down."

"If the bullet is destroyed, wouldn't Mr. Fujita, who recommended me, also become a laughing stock?"

"I will do my best to repay this kindness."

Mr. Fujinaga looked at Toru Tazaki's gentle smile and couldn't help but hiss.

This kid is really good with words!

That old man Fujita really struck gold!

"I understand, I understand. It's getting late, you should go back quickly. You've worked hard."

"Yes, Mr. Fujinaga, you've worked hard too. I'll take my leave now."

On the other end of the phone, when Hiyomiya Hinata saw that Tazaki Toru was silent, she became even more certain of her thoughts.

Mr. Tazaki must be...

Huh?

It seemed like someone else was talking to him.

The girl held her breath and gradually made out the conversation on the other end.

It seems... he really is working?

This is really embarrassing.

When Tazaki Toru's voice came through the phone again, there was a slight response, as if he were in a small, enclosed place.

"Sorry, I just got into a taxi."

"Tazaki-sensei, are you really working until late at night?"

Tazaki Toru was both amused and exasperated. Did she really think he was lying?

"Didn't I just say that before? Miss Yang, do you think I'm someone who talks nonsense?"

"I'm so sorry, I ...!"

The girl suddenly started apologizing loudly, and Toru Tazaki even heard a soft "thump" sound.

"Miss Yang Gong?"

"I'm okay, the bed is soft, it doesn't hurt at all!"

The girl, kneeling on the bed, slowly raised her forehead to touch the bed surface.

Recalling her earlier rambling, the girl felt ashamed and wanted to squeeze even further into the gap between the bed and the floor.

The pupils deep within his eyes stopped rotating, turning into a jumbled mess of black lines, tangled and disordered, making it difficult to even speak clearly.

Then, on the other end of the phone, Tazaki Toru's soft laughter came through.

"T-Takazaki-sensei?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't mocking you."

"I was just a little surprised that Miss Yang Gong had such a girlish side."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Miss Yang Gong has a bit of a childlike quality to her. Although she is the same age as me, she has a kind of innocent and carefree charm that almost made me forget that you are also a very capable girl."

Besides Tazaki Toru's gentle voice, there was some other sound coming from the other end of the phone.

The taxi, alone at the crossroads on a quiet city street late at night, waits for the traffic light in the distance. The "tick-tock" sound of the car's turn signal is incredibly similar to the sound of a heartbeat.

It was as if his heart might leap out of his body at any moment, grow arms and legs, and run to the intersection where he was, to play a melody together.

The girl opened her mouth slightly, but suddenly didn't know how to answer.

A tiny flame seemed to ignite in her heart, baking her body into a soft, fluffy marshmallow.

"Miss Yang, is something on your mind tonight?"

The girl's breath hitched, as if a sudden gust of wind had come from nowhere.

She had no choice but to tightly open her arms to protect the small flame that was slightly hot in the wind.

"Heart, worries?"

"Yes, that's what Miss Yang Gong's voice said to me."

The girl was incredulous; her voice had indeed received a lot of feedback so far.

Some people like it, and some they don't.

But she never knew that her voice also had the drawback of revealing her true feelings.

"You can tell from that?"

"Because I've been paying attention to your voice."

"No change can escape my ears. You should know that these ears are one of the few things I can be proud of."

"Thanks to it, I was able to listen carefully to your singing and your playing."

"Otherwise, how can you be your composers?"

Ms. Tazaki's ears...

Yes, of course I believe it.

She believed in his skills and his talent; Yang Gongfei never doubted these things.

But at this moment he was so certain, claiming that his ears had been listening to her voice the whole time.

For the first time, Yang Gongfei Na raised a question.

She questioned whether her own voice truly deserved his care.

But when she remembered how he had taken such good care of her after she had ruined her voice, she once again believed his words without a doubt.

Suddenly, the girl took a slow breath and mustered a little courage.

"Tazaki-sensei, do you think... I'm a strange girl?"

"strangeness?"

"You saw it when Mr. Tazaki took me home that night, didn't you?"

She pursed her lips, her wandering gaze shifting to the sheep doll beside her pillow. She reached out, pulled it into her arms, and gently stroked its soft fur to ease the hesitation and unease in her heart.

“If Miss Yanggong is referring to the picture frame and the doll, then I did see them.”

Tazaki Toru is ultimately a man who finds it difficult to lie.