Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

Tazaki Toru ultimately didn't say anything that would hurt her; his voice was gentle:

“Miss Yang Gong, if you’re worried about getting lost, hold on tight to me.”

She looked up at Tazaki Toru's gentle profile, her round, soft face flushed red, and she nodded vigorously.

Incredibly, their first physical contact a year ago was when Toru Tazaki took the initiative to hold Hinata Hiyomi's hand.

However, a year later, it was Yang Gongfei who took the initiative.

But no matter what, she dared not touch Tazaki Toru's fingers, and could only clench his sleeve tightly.

Even so, Yang Gongfeina still felt a sense of security from being cared for, which slightly alleviated her anxiety and unease.

She was certain that no matter what the final response was, this person would never mock her sincerity and would speak to her with the gentlest words.

She tried to recall last year's fireworks display, but what remained in her memory was not the dazzling night sky, but his face illuminated by the sparks.

That instant eye contact was more unforgettable for her than the shattered starlight.

I wish I could see fireworks as spectacular as last year today.

The girl's anticipation grew stronger.

……

……

The fireworks display starts at 7:30. If you want to get a good seat in advance with a wide view, you'll probably have to wait in line for more than half an hour.

It was still early, so the two followed the crowd toward the shopping street, intending to look around and enjoy the festival atmosphere.

Tazaki Toru looked up at the fading twilight, where the gathering clouds resembled clusters of cool cotton candy.

Despite it being summer, there was a chilling coolness in the air.

Hina walked carefully beside Toru Tazaki, and once they entered the shopping street, she slowly loosened her grip on his sleeve.

It wasn't that she didn't want to continue, but for Yang Gongfei Na, this behavior was already an outrageous act that made her heart pound.

If it's her favorite romance comic, then you should zoom in on her expression right now, surround her with heart-fluttering bubble effects, and give her at least a close-up shot that takes up an entire page.

If this continues, she might faint from nervousness before the fireworks festival even begins, wake up in the hospital, and ruin her long-awaited date.

How exactly did Rin and the others confess their feelings to him?

Yang Gongfei was completely baffled and really wanted to ask them where they got the confidence to take the initiative against him.

"Miss Yang Gong?"

Seeing that Hina Himegami kept her head down and looked absent-minded, Toru Tazaki couldn't help but call her name and lean closer to look at her face.

Yang Gongfei was startled: "Um... wh, what's wrong?"

Tazaki Toru remained silent, staring intently at the girl's soft, round face for a long time.

Yang Gongfei stood frozen in place, her breath suddenly tightening, and she dared not utter a single breath, not even her signature soft whisper.

572. Summer Festival, Yukata, Himegami Hina. (2)

Hina Himegami felt extremely uncomfortable under Toru Tazaki's gaze; her brown pupils trembled rapidly and wavered uncontrollably.

Gradually, Tazaki straightened his back and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm just a little worried."

"Worried...?"

As Tazaki Toru's face receded into the distance, Himegami Hina felt a sense of relief, but at the same time, she also felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Even though Toru Tazaki did nothing but look at her, for Hinata Hitomi, such an unintentional action was enough to shake her heart.

Let alone attacking him, Tazaki Toru's slightest approach would leave her scrambling to defend herself.

"Hmm, Miss Yang Gong is a sensitive girl. Although she is usually naive and absent-minded, she always chatters away when she is with me and takes the initiative to lead the conversation. I suppose it's because I don't talk much. Please take the initiative to cater to me."

"But today was unusually quiet, so I wondered if I was feeling unwell."

"However, your voice is still as beautiful as ever. Several times I was so focused on your voice that I ignored what you were saying and tried to find clues on your face."

"Pleasant-sounding, my voice... it's not like that at all."

Tazaki Toru shook his head stubbornly, a rare occurrence for him.

"To my ears, Miss Yang Gong's voice is the most beautiful."

Tazaki Toru never lies, and even though it sounds like a lie, Himegami Hina couldn't help but believe it.

She opened her mouth slightly, and before her brain could process anything, the sound came out first.

"Even more beautiful than Miss Sasaki's voice?"

Tazaki Toru was stunned when he heard this.

When she came to her senses, Himegami Hina immediately covered her mouth, shrank her narrow shoulders, and avoided looking at Tazaki Toru.

"I'm sorry, I was secretly competing again."

Unexpectedly, Tazaki Toru did not comfort or persuade her as he had done before. After looking at the girl for a long time, he did so.

"If in the future, when I grow old, or if I develop Alzheimer's and become a forgetful old man."

"I will probably forget many things, many sounds."

"But why do I have this inexplicable confidence?"

"I am certain that Miss Yang Gong's voice is the only one I will never forget, no matter what."

Tazaki Toru's smile was genuine, but beneath that sincerity, there seemed to be some other emotions mixed in.

He could tell that Aya was nervous, whether it was because MyGO's first live performance was coming up or because she was walking with him.

Tazaki Toru gradually found his own answer.

But he still refused to lie, finding it difficult to denigrate the voice that had captivated him so much as to be worthless.

Simply because when I first met her, regardless of the scene, her appearance, or any other wonderful external factors, it was all irrelevant.

Her unique voice alone—soft, sweet, and resolute, conveyed through a powerful breath—had already secured its place in Tazaki Toru's mind.

The reason why Tazaki Toru didn't compare her to Sasaki Riko is because he doesn't like doing that.

Each of them has a unique charm, and Yang Gongfei's voice has a quality that he can't refuse.

Yang Gongfei lowered her head shyly, her heart pounding even louder.

She quickly turned her head away and stammered a few times.

“Takasaki-sensei, you haven’t been to the recording studio much lately. When I don’t see you, I feel very uneasy, afraid that you don’t have confidence in me, and I’m so nervous that I can’t eat properly.”

Tazaki Toru has been working on other projects lately, going to King Records almost every day.

However, being busy with work is one thing, but to say that he had no intention of escaping at all is a bit untenable.

Tazaki Toru is a sensitive man, and he worries that his presence might affect the relationships between the girls.

Especially on the eve of MyGO's upcoming concert, during such an important time, Toru Tazaki didn't want to cause them any unnecessary trouble.

Even though he also longed to be by their side and offer them encouragement.

"But now, I suddenly feel much more at ease."

Yang Gongfeina raised the corners of her mouth slightly and murmured to herself.

She didn't offer any further explanation and continued walking.

Tazaki Toru had no choice but to follow her, and the two of them walked together along the straight shopping street from one end to the other.

People often say that special holidays have special magic.

Cultural festivals during student days, festivals held in the sweltering summer heat, always seem to bring two hearts closer together in an invisible way.

Even if there were invisible and intangible barriers between them, at the moment the fireworks burst open, the magnificent sparks falling down like melting snow completely melted away those barriers.

This is exactly what Yang Gongfeina hoped for.

At the last minute, she made up her mind to muster the courage to respond to him.

He longs to see last year's fireworks again, hoping that the sparks scattering across the sky will convey all the emotions in his heart through the voice he claims he will never forget.

Now, perhaps I can actually say it.

We walked through the shopping street and began heading towards the viewing area for the fireworks festival.

While queuing in the crowd, Yang Gongfei was full of anticipation for the upcoming fireworks display, completely unaware that the night sky above her was shrouded in a layer of gray clouds.

As they approached the viewing area, before she could even show a joyful smile...

In the night sky, tiny water droplets slowly fall, one after another.

Drifting and swaying, yet exuding an unstoppable momentum, it instantly spread across the bustling streets.

Various sounds of commotion arose from the crowd, and Toru Tazaki subconsciously frowned.

Yang Gongfei Na is always a step behind others; it's just her nature.

It wasn't until the relentless, drizzling rain began to pour down that she suddenly realized what was happening.

The girl raised her face in bewilderment, and the rumble of thunder sounded in her ears.

It was even louder than her beating heart.

Being in the middle of the crowd, unable to leave or find shelter from the rain, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and follow the pedestrians.

Shortly after, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the fireworks festival had been urgently cancelled.

The uninvited night rain extinguished the magnificent fireworks and also dampened the courage she had finally mustered.

573. Summer Festival, Yukata, Himegami Hina. (3)

The sudden downpour shattered the balance and silence of the night sky.

The clouds gathering in the sky displayed a ferocity quite different from the gentle cotton candy rain; this rain was neither gentle nor tranquil.

It's the kind of heavy rain that bothers me when I'm sitting in the music room composing, and the sound of rain hitting the window is so annoying.