Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

Ms. Tazaki stared intently at the bursting orange fireworks, completely unaware of my gaze.

Sparks flew out in the shape of peonies, making a hissing sound.

Let's focus on the fireworks for now, because... we're going to have a showdown.

"I still feel like it's a bit unbelievable."

"Eh?"

The gentle firelight reflected in Ms. Tazaki's eyes, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.

"When I first met Ms. Yang Gong, I was worried that you would take me to the police station on charges of harassment. I never expected that we would be able to set off fireworks together in the park now."

I was too shy to look up, and for the first time, I turned my gaze to the incense sticks and firecrackers in my hand.

Seemingly seeing that I didn't respond to him, Mr. Tazaki suddenly chuckled.

"Miss Yang Gong, you really like fireworks."

"Looks like I really made the right choice buying these fireworks, they're really... great."

Even without looking at him, I could feel Mr. Tazaki's gentle gaze. Why did it have to be at this moment?

I tried to keep my fingers calm, but as my hands trembled more and more, the incense sticks and fireworks became unstable.

After burning fiercely, only a tiny spark of light remained on the bud. It teetered precariously, and with my gentle call, it fell into the bucket of water, extinguishing without a trace.

Hmm... I roughly guessed that this would be the ending.

I'm just naturally clumsy, and I can't compare to Mr. Tazaki, who has fingers that can play the piano with such dexterity.

I knew it from the very beginning.

That's why we talk about winning or losing, and about prizes.

It's just to make their cowardice look more respectable.

but……

why.

This sense of resentment has not yet dissipated.

Under the silent night sky, my voice seemed to break free of its cage.

If he really loves my voice as much as he says.

Please make sure to... pass it on.

"I like...desu."

"Yes, I like it too, fireworks."

"……no."

I couldn't help but shake my head.

Before we arrived, Mr. Tazaki mentioned that there would be a fireworks display in another district tonight.

That's probably why I felt like I heard a voice from afar.

That was the sound of fireworks rising into the sky, exploding, and then scattering into starlight.

Even without turning around, I can hear the night sky behind us, that incredibly distant place.

Brilliant fireworks are bursting in the night sky.

"The one I like... is you."

"Tazaki-sensei."

577. Summer Festival, Yukata, Himegami Hina. (7)

The dazzling fireworks slowly rose into the sky, exploding into countless points of light, falling like shooting stars.

The quiet park where they were alone seemed to be isolated from the outside world, so quiet that only the sound of each other's heartbeats could be heard.

It was as if all living things in the world had been driven out, leaving only them lying in the center of the world.

Tazaki Toru suddenly recalled that night a year ago, at a similar moment, when they looked at each other under the fireworks.

Even though they were far apart at that time, they could still see each other's eyes in the crowd.

Now that the complexities of the surroundings have faded, unlike the initial guesses and confusion, my eyes see many things that were not there back then.

The incense stick and sparkler in Tazaki Toru's hand, which had turned into tiny specks of light, wobbled and fell into the bucket of water, disappearing without a trace.

The fireworks in the night sky behind her gradually faded, and the sudden silence that swept over her abruptly brought Yang Gongfeina's slightly feverish head back to its senses.

She stared blankly at Toru Tazaki in front of her, her expression flustered and at a loss, a blush spreading all the way to the back of her ears, as if she were the one being confessed to.

In contrast, Toru Tazaki was much calmer.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that it's too calm.

Based on Tazaki Toru's usual personality, he would probably say something like "Thank you for liking me"—a kind of gentle but cheesy thing.

But this time, Tazaki Toru did not do that.

In Tazaki Toru's memory, Hinata Hitomi was always a sensitive girl who was afraid of being scolded and had a childlike heart.

She has an innocent and gentle side, but occasionally she can also show amazing persistence.

Tazaki Toru could never know how long a girl like that had agonized over her feelings before confessing them to him.

His answer had to be careful and cautious, without any falsehood.

Tazaki Toru gazed at Himegami Hina before him, controlling his tone and volume, and slowly began to speak:

"sorry."

"........."

Even though Hinata Sheep Palace, who loves shoujo manga, has never had any real-world romantic experience, she understands the meaning of the words "I'm sorry" in this situation.

Almost instantly, her shy expression froze, and her burning cheeks suddenly cooled down as if splashed with cold water.

Even though the rain had stopped, I felt an urge to burst into tears.

Hina-chan is a fraud; she's not like that at all!

Mr. Tazaki dumps people without batting an eye!

The girl's nose gradually turned red, and she let out a barely audible inhalation, looking as if she might sob at any moment.

Tazaki Toru observed the girl's expression, and without pausing or remaining silent, continued:

"Actually, I had expected this beforehand."

"At that time, Miss Yang Gong's 'like' may have had another meaning, but I didn't have the courage to ask her about it."

"This period of time has only added to your troubled and distressing memories."

"I wasn't able to respond to you immediately..."

"I'm sorry."

Tazaki Toru's eyelids drooped slightly, but he never took his gaze off her face.

This look in her eyes may not have been the deep affection she longed for, but it was incredibly sincere.

Yang Gongfei's expression changed several times, her brown pupils swirling in her eye sockets with great unease.

It was only then that she realized that Tazaki Toru's "I'm sorry" did not mean what she thought it meant.

She thought that only a girl like herself would be troubled day and night by such matters of love and romance, to the point of bringing that trouble into her work, which could hardly be called dedication.

Such an outstanding and respected figure as Toru Tazaki is unlikely to understand this inner turmoil.

At this moment, Tazaki Toru seemed to be suppressing his urge to dodge and facing her eyes directly.

Yang Gongfei suddenly realized that the teacher in front of her was not as distant as she had imagined.

"When Ms. Yang invited me to the summer festival, I wondered if things would turn out this way. I was also troubled. If Ms. Yang said those words again, how should I respond so as not to upset her?"

"I have regretted it more than once. If I had known this would happen, I should have responded to you properly back then."

"So today I've made up my mind to apologize to you."

For some reason, a look of realization appeared on Yang Gongfei's face.

It turned out to be the case.

That's why Ms. Tazaki was so gentle with me today.

But in the blink of an eye, she suppressed those thoughts again.

No, that's not how it is. Mr. Tazaki is always as gentle as he is today, which is why I found myself confiding in him without even realizing it.

Sheep Palace Fairy is afraid of making mistakes, afraid of being blamed, and afraid of others speaking loudly to her.

So she always bowed and apologized, hoping that a weak and powerless girl like herself could survive in this industry a little longer.

However, Tazaki Toru is different.

He always speaks softly and gently, like a gentle breeze.

He walked very slowly, so slowly that he could walk side by side with her, who was wearing a yukata.

When she does something wrong, I never yell at her, but gently point her to another path.

Whenever she was about to lose her way on this journey, he would always appear at just the right time, acting as a lighthouse for her ship adrift at sea.

Unbeknownst to her, this lighthouse brought her boundless peace of mind.

Even if I were to venture into the industry alone, I would have the confidence to continue on my own.

"Tazaki-sensei, there's no need to apologize for something like this..."

Tazaki Toru shook his head.

"If I were truly someone who was oblivious to everything outside of music, perhaps that would be understandable."

"But I was clearly aware of it in my heart, yet due to a series of personal reasons, I pretended not to hear it, which was obviously wrong."

"I am not the absolutely upright person that Miss Yang Gong imagines. I always claim that I want to tell the truth, but I cannot be 100% honest."