Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

Tazaki Toru was already deeply moved by just hearing the cover songs performed earlier.

He wavered too much.

Mika Kohinata once said that this was their dream.

Step onto the stage that belongs only to MyGO and perform his original songs.

Tonight is the moment they realize their dreams.

But Toru Tazaki dared not witness it.

He had a premonition that if he listened to "The Starry Night Call," a song he had personally composed and which belonged to them, here...

I'm sure I'll be captivated by the girls on stage.

His selfish and greedy possessiveness will be completely stripped of its facade of sincerity and exposed to them.

He would pray in his heart that they would no longer be idols for everyone, but belong only to him.

Tazaki Toru is afraid of this version of herself.

In the end, he still couldn't shout "encore" from the audience.

Walking alone to Shibuya Station, the song still lingered in his mind; he could almost picture the audience shouting "Encore!"

They were sent onto the stage, but Toru Tazaki himself left the audience.

"Wouldn't this be considered a betrayal of them?"

Tazaki Toru murmured to himself.

He suddenly looked at the bronze statue of Hachiko, the loyal dog, not far away. He rarely came to Shibuya, but he had a vivid memory of this statue.

Tazaki Tomoko is white; it's another memory resonating in my mind.

It was on that very night that he came into this world.

If Mika Kohinata hadn't given him CPR or taken him in back then, where would he be now?

Thinking about such questions is not in Tazaki Toru's style.

But now he can only use these meaningless daydreams to distance his thoughts from them.

Do I really have the ability to make them all happy?

Now, Toru Tazaki's thoughts have shifted from "it's impossible" to "can it be done?"

Sitting by the statue, I watched as waves of pedestrians came and went. After what seemed like an eternity, my phone started buzzing in my pocket.

I glanced at the time; the concert was already over.

Tazaki Toru swiped open the screen, and there was a message from Aoki Hina.

The content consists of only one sentence.

Let's meet at the place where we first met.

The place where we first met...

Tazaki Toru put away his phone, stood there for a while, and gradually made up his mind before walking in a certain direction.

599. Let's get lost together!

Walking alone through the streets of Shimokitazawa, Toru Tazaki arrives at the live house SHELTER and sees the familiar staircase.

This is where he first met Hina Aoki.

At this time of day, this place would normally be a nighttime bar, but once you step inside, it is completely dark, without a single light.

If the door hadn't been unlocked, Tazaki Toru would have almost thought the house was closed early today.

However, the current internal situation is no different from being closed down.

Just as Tazaki Toru was wondering what was going on, the stage lights suddenly came on, and a figure appeared on the stage.

The four girls had already changed out of their performance costumes and stood quietly on the stage with their instruments.

"Why did they run away?! Who would run away just because they heard 'The Starry Night's Cry'?"

Rin Tachibana's loud and boisterous voice, filled with indignation and resentment, echoed throughout the live house.

It seems they found out that I left early.

Tazaki Toru didn't understand what was going on and couldn't figure out why they were there.

The concert ended successfully, and they should all be attending the after-party now.

The next moment, Hina Himegami's voice interrupted Toru Tazaki's thoughts.

She stood in the very center, biting her lip slightly, her eyes flashing with complex emotions as she looked at Toru Tazaki.

"Tazaki-sensei, why... are you only looking at yourself?"

"Everyone has given their all for this day, but you haven't even looked at us."

"I really... really want to be the best lead singer in your heart."

Please, please listen to our voices.

"We are right here."

With a choked voice, Hina Himegami pounded on Toru Tazaki's defenses again and again.

Like a tiled house swaying in the wind and rain, with each tile being peeled away and eroded by her voice.

"Tazaki-kun".

Aoki Hina's voice remained as calm as ever, but her beautiful eyes, gazing at him with deep affection, held an unfathomable longing.

"We just want to be on stage and play the songs you wrote for you."

"This is just a small wish. If you still want to leave after hearing this..."

"I won't stop you."

The girls' voices left Tazaki Toru standing there, embarrassed.

It was only then that he suddenly realized he had done something truly outrageous.

Because of his own cowardice and weakness, he trampled on their dreams and intentions.

Tazaki Toru didn't even dare to look them in the eye; his gaze, though wandering, would unconsciously fall on Kohinata Mika.

She remained silent, her eyes filled with an indescribable tenderness.

She was like a doting mother, as if no matter how willful he was, she would forgive him without hesitation.

She said she had the right to refuse.

That's why Mika Kohinata didn't say anything at that moment.

She simply stood there, between them, silently making her stance clear.

Rin Tachibana slammed her pick across the strings, humming, "La la la la..."

The moment the guitar sound began, the pre-recorded drumbeats flowed from the amplifier, followed by Miss Yang's singing.

"Standing in the very center of the crossroads, blending into the bustling crowd."

"I alone wander aimlessly, like a drifter."

This song, "The Lost Star," was clearly his own composition, and he had listened to it countless times. Yet, looking at the girls on stage, Toru Tazaki felt emotions he had never experienced before.

Music can carry the performer's thoughts and feelings; even with the same melody, the emotions expressed each time are completely different.

They have taken enough steps—the Cold War, reconciliation—to stand before him again like this.

Simply because we share a common goal and aspiration.

—I want to be with Tohru Tazaki.

Below the empty stage, Toru Tazaki stood all alone.

This song was written for them.

This song is sung for him.

Could I possibly refuse them?

Even though he ran away during the live performance, they still chased after him without hesitation.

Faced with this burning love, Toru Tazaki had to admit that he could no longer resist it.

After witnessing their loving and enlightened performance.

Now, can I still walk?

Are you willing to leave?

Tazaki Toru already had his own answer in his heart.

"Holding a faint, aching chest"

"Facing your trembling figure, I shout that I am with you."

Singing the song of lost stars

After the singing and piano music ended, the dim stage lights went out.

Inside the pitch-black live house, the silence surrounding me was deafening.

He wanted to give it a try.

Try living a more carefree life, follow your heart and desires, and want them all to be happy.

This unprecedented impulse prompted Toru Tazaki to slowly squeeze out his parched voice: "Encore..."

"Encore, encore..."

"Encore, encore..."

His voice grew louder and louder, as if he was desperately trying to project it onto the stage.

Tazaki's encore is his response to the girls.

The next second, the stage lights came on slightly.