Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

It is precisely because Mika Takagi is such a girl that she risked her life to give Toru Tazaki CPR last night, and that she clumsily tried to find out Toru Tazaki's mental state.

Even in the dead of night, with the rain pattering against the windowsill, she once again brought this strange man back to her house.

Being alive is more important than anything else.

Tazaki Toru sat quietly on the floor, while Takagi Mika nodded and bowed to the air before hanging up the phone.

Because Tazaki Toru didn't have the landlord's contact information, Takagi Mika, who was also a resident, took the initiative to contact him. After some negotiation, the landlord promised to deliver the keys the next day.

She let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Tazaki Toru with a smile: "It's all done."

She helped me again.

"Thank you."

Tazaki Toru's sincere thanks only made Takagi Mika panic; she hadn't helped Tazaki Toru in order to receive thanks.

"The rain seems to have subsided a bit, so I won't bother you any longer. Goodnight."

"Eh?"

Seeing that Tazaki Toru left so decisively, Takagi Mika asked, "Mr. Tazaki, where are you going?"

To be honest, Toru Tazaki didn't know either, but he couldn't just stay at the girl's house forever.

There's always somewhere to go.

Seemingly having figured out what Tazaki Toru was thinking, she slowly said, "Although I don't know Mr. Tazaki very well, we've been neighbors for many years, and I think Mr. Tazaki must be a good person."

"Moreover, neighbors should help each other; that's how it's done in my hometown."

The girl's eyes were surprisingly clear, like the splash of water made by a fish diving into the water on a summer day, sparkling in the sunlight.

"I've heard that voice acting is a job that requires a lot of public exposure, and if it affects you..."

In today's industry, voice actors are almost no different from celebrities. It is very common for them to move from behind the scenes to the forefront, be followed by paparazzi in private, and have their photos sent to their agencies.

Young female voice actors, in particular, should pay more attention to this issue.

"Ah, I see. Thank you. But I think it should be alright."

"It doesn't matter?"

An indescribable smile appeared on the girl's face, and her gentle voice, as if wrapped in a layer of cotton fabric, softly wiped Tazaki Toru's ears.

"Only popular voice actors have that kind of worry, but I've never done any work that can be called voice acting."

"...not even once."

The voice carried a subtle sadness, fleeting as it vanished beneath her resolute smile.

Perhaps it was this strong yet warm smile that made Tazaki Toru so happy tonight.

I sat down in the bathtub at the voice actress's house again.

Late at night, Toru Tazaki lay alone on the sofa in the living room, silently listening to the sound of rain outside the window, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The kind voice actress not only gave him hot food, but also generously provided him with a place to sleep, even if it was just a sofa with screws on the chair legs that hadn't been tightened.

In both his past and present lives, Toru Tazaki dislikes the feeling of being indebted, and he is acutely aware of what his own obstacles are.

Money, it's all about money.

Tazaki Toru is not someone with a knack for money; in his previous life, he unknowingly accumulated wealth through music.

Whether rich or poor, my original intention to make music has never changed, and it will not change even now that I am Toru Tazaki.

Therefore, Toru Tazaki decided that he would continue making music.

in Tokyo.

……

……

The following day, at four o'clock in the afternoon.

When Tazaki Toru arrived at SHELTER and entered the lounge, he saw the manager half-lying on a chair, asleep.

With plenty of time before ticket sales began, Toru Tazaki went to the outer area to mop the floor, pondering his future path.

After all, relying solely on live house ticket sales is not a sustainable long-term solution.

As I was pondering this, the soundproof door to the concert hall was suddenly pushed open, and a young girl carrying a huge guitar case stood gracefully at the door.

High school student?

This was Tazaki Toru's first idea.

The girl was not tall, or rather, she was very short.

Even though she was wearing exaggerated open-toe platform shoes, her height couldn't possibly be more than 1.6 meters.

But that flowing long dress perfectly accentuated her figure, making her look petite and delicate.

The girl looked around, and whether she did it on purpose or simply didn't notice Tazaki Toru, she let out a long breath, gently rolled up her sleeves, revealing two slender, white forearms.

With a muttered "Heave-ho!" he lifted the violin case with both hands and laboriously moved it down, step by step, carefully making his way down.

With each step, the ten toes, painted with pink nail polish, curled up in unison, perfectly aligned, like breathing lights that changed color in unison.

Tazaki Toru finally came to his senses, quickly put down the mop in his hand, and walked over quickly, putting on the airs of a staff member, his voice calm and gentle.

"Excuse me, miss, we are not open for business yet."

The girl raised her head, almost looking up at Toru Tazaki, and then slowly took a few steps back to adjust her gaze.

Then, she tilted her head blankly.

"you are?"

5. In short, tonight is another freebie.

Generally speaking, the bands that come to SHELTER to perform are mostly well-known underground bands.

Besides bands, the venue is often rented out to underground idol girl groups for live performances.

The young girl who suddenly appeared was indeed very beautiful, perfectly matching Tazaki Toru's stereotype of an "idol".

Despite the suspicion of judging by appearance, Tazaki Toru did not consider her to be the guest performer tonight.

Most importantly, Tazaki Toru had seen the lineup of performers for tonight's show.

The girl looked puzzled at first, then realized what was happening, looked up at Tazaki Toru, and said, "Ah, are you a new part-time worker? I am..."

The door to the lounge opened, and the store manager, who had finished his afternoon nap, came out.

"Oh, Oshima-chan, it's been a long time."

"Long time no see, Manager Yoshimura, I'm here to bother you~"

The girl leaned to the side, her long, smooth hair cascading down, carrying a faint, pleasant scent of shampoo that drifted into Tazaki Toru's nose.

She flashed a bright smile, took out a square gift box, and approached the shop manager.

"Please accept these humble snacks."

"Why are you being so polite? I was worried that after Oshima-chan signed with an agency... Ah! Shouldn't we use her stage name now?"

The girl smiled and waved her hand: "It's okay. There's no need to be so formal in private. I'm only able to continue on this path because of the manager's past care for me."

"That's good. Speaking of which, I went to see the stage play at the end of last year."

"Huh? Really? Just let me know, I can still manage to get some votes from people with connections."

"Eek~~ It's really nice to hear Oshima-chan say that, hahaha!"

She's such a lively, clever, and sociable girl.

Tazaki Toru thought to himself.

Since he was an acquaintance of the store manager, Tazaki Toru had nothing more to say. He picked up the mop again and cleaned the inside and outside areas thoroughly.

The young girl named "Oshima" seemed to be there to borrow the stage.

To Tazaki Toru's surprise, the other party's tuning was very efficient, their ears were very good, and their sense of sound was quite excellent.

The chords were played well, but only well; Tazaki Toru could tell at a glance that the other person was playing wood-to-electric.

The store manager would occasionally offer a few comments and provide guidance.

Judging from their previous conversation, this girl seems to have signed with an agency. If this level of talent is enough to get a contract, then the money comes quite easily.

Tazaki Toru thought for a while and realized that joining an agency was also a viable option. In his previous life, Tazaki Toru was often regarded as a piano prodigy, having dabbled in various musical instruments, but singing was not an option for him.

Everyone has their own area of ​​expertise; being nimble with your fingers doesn't mean you're nimble with your tongue.

Therefore, the path of becoming a singer is basically out of reach for Toru Tazaki.

It wasn't until after 5 p.m. that the girl put away her guitar and walked off the stage, looking dejected yet still wanting more.

Pushing open the soundproof door, you'll find Toru Tazaki sitting in a daze behind the cashier.

Tazaki Toru glanced at her subconsciously, then looked away.

She had just walked out when she soon turned back.

"Hello, please give me a ticket to tonight's live show."

"5100 yen."

After receiving the money, Tazaki Toru handed her the ticket and drink voucher together.

"Huh? You're playing the piano?"

The girl suddenly asked a question.

Tazaki Toru was taken aback when he heard this, and the girl pointed at his finger.

The fingers on my left hand have shallow indentations, caused by constantly pressing the strings with the pads of my fingers. These are marks unique to beginners.

Tazaki Toru found the question difficult to answer and said, "I guess you could say I'm playing it."

"Does it count?"

"Ah."