Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

"A lifetime is so long, who can say for sure?"

Tazaki Toru thought about how he had participated in a girls' band project, and who knows, he might actually have to deal with so many female voice actresses in the future.

"Many people never see a female voice actress in their lifetime, but I've run into them all."

Hina Aoki pouted: "Tasaki-kun, do you think of female voice actors as some kind of man-eating beast?"

"In the end, voice acting is just a profession. If you strip away that identity, everyone is just an ordinary person with one nose and two eyes."

"At most, there are just fewer people in this profession. Would you be surprised to run into a housewife or a kindergarten teacher?"

Tazaki Toru thought about it and realized that it made sense.

"Ms. Aoki, why do you want to become a voice actress?"

"Well... I initially just wanted to work in a music-related field, but I've loved animation since I was a child and I also enjoy watching band performances. So during my university years, I auditioned for many agencies, thinking that if no one wanted me, I would just become a teacher after graduation."

"Later, I passed the audition and became a voice actress without really knowing what it was like."

As she finished speaking, her two beautiful eyebrows suddenly furrowed together, and a fine wrinkle appeared between them.

"Seriously, we've come all the way to the aquarium, why are we talking about these things? Today is my day off, so don't mistake me for a voice actress."

Tazaki Toru opened his mouth and silently hummed in agreement.

So he followed the girl, like two fish escaping from a huge viewing tank, as they swam with her through the aquarium.

She seemed to marvel at every fish for a moment, then took out her phone to take pictures incessantly, as if she wanted to transfer those fish from the huge tank to her narrow little box.

"Tazaki-kun, look at this, it's so cute!"

Inside the souvenir shop at the aquarium, she bounced around and waved to Toru Tazaki.

As Tazaki Toru approached, he saw that she was holding a phone case with various fish patterns printed on it.

"If phone cases from the same series are placed together, you'll see..."

The designs on the two phone cases, featuring a seascape behind the fish that shimmers with faint blue light, are definitely products that would attract girls.

Tazaki Toru glanced at the price tag.

hiss……

The girl happily browsed the items on the shelf: "I'll take this to Rin-chan; she seems like the type who would like penguins."

"What's the principle behind this?" Tazaki Toru couldn't help but ask.

"Penguins waddle when they walk, they're so slow, they don't look very smart, just like Rin-chan."

Tazaki Toru suddenly realized that Aoki Hina was a girl with a mischievous side.

The feeling he gets from Aoki Hina now is very different from when he first met her.

After she finished paying for the goods, she suddenly said to Tazaki Toru, "This is for you."

Tazaki Toru looked over and saw it was the same phone case that had glowed when touched.

"This is a gift to thank you for taking the time to come out and have fun with me today."

"Hehe~~ I bought one too, so we can be good partners living in the same water tank."

That's true; they did indeed live under the same roof.

"It's a pity there are only two designs, otherwise I could have bought one for Rin-chan too."

Tazaki Toru didn't think much of it; he wasn't the type to dwell on such trivial matters. He accepted the gift generously and expressed his gratitude.

Then, in front of Hina Aoki, he put the phone case on.

Hina Aoki eagerly touched her phone to the surface, and both phones emitted a faint, azure light.

Tazaki Toru immediately wore a very subtle expression, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

How should I put it? It looks like a phone case that only a female high school student would use, which is quite incongruous with his status as a grown man.

Hina Aoki blinked her beautiful eyes, staring at the rather helpless expression on Toru Tazaki's face, and suddenly lowered her voice: "Besides music, this is the thing about Toru Tazaki that I am most satisfied with."

"This much?"

"Be unpretentious and poised. I hate those indecisive people who are always overthinking things. They make a big deal out of something as simple as it is."

"So, if Miss Aoki asks me in the future whether I want cola or green tea, will you dislike me if I hesitate?"

Haha~~ You never know.

Tazaki Toru pondered for a moment and said, "Then I will try my best so that you won't hate me."

Her hands, holding the phone, trembled slightly. Hina Aoki raised her beautiful eyes, tilted her snow-white neck slightly upward, and stared intently at him:

"Can I take that as Tazaki-kun hoping that I... like you?"

"If we're just talking about liking and disliking, I don't think anyone would choose to be disliked. Of course, everyone hopes to be accepted, recognized, and even liked by those around them, and I'm no exception."

His answer was extremely serious, exactly the Tazaki Toru that Aoki Hina remembered.

It was as if any other answer would shatter the image of Tazaki Tohru that she perceived.

Aoki Hina's lips curled up slightly. Tazaki Toru couldn't tell whether the curve of her smile was calculated, but he felt that it was the most natural smile she had shown today.

"I see, that's very much in line with Tazaki-kun's style of answer."

68. You will inevitably be manipulated by female voice actors in the future.

After leaving the aquarium's souvenir shop, the two strolled around for a while. Ms. Aoki, who was standing next to them, said that she was hungry and discussed with Toru Tazaki about going out to get something to eat.

Tazaki Toru was somewhat surprised and asked, "Aren't you going to see the penguins?"

One of the most popular attractions in this aquarium is undoubtedly the flock of penguins flying overhead.

Tazaki Toru thought she came here today specifically for the penguins.

"We've seen enough cute things today, let's save the penguins for next time, so we can still keep some anticipation."

Hina Aoki's explanation is flawless; she simply didn't want to run into other female voice actresses at the Penguin Pavilion.

Tazaki Toru was not familiar with trendy places like Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, so after leaving the aquarium, he went to a family restaurant nearby, led by Aoki Hina.

Perhaps because the peak dining hours had passed, there were very few people in the family restaurant. There was only one table of what looked like a high school class meeting, where people only ordered drinks and a snack platter.

After being seated, I called over a waiter and ordered a few simple dishes.

"Tazaki-kun, that waitress girl was staring at you the whole time."

"Is that so?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice at all."

"Miss Aoki, when you walk down the street, do you remember every man who looks at you?"

“I always wear a mask when I go out, and I’m short, so I’m pretty inconspicuous in a crowd.”

“They really have no taste,” Tazaki Toru said.

That one sentence alone made the girl smile with satisfaction.

Suddenly, she realized.

Today it's been both the aquarium and a family restaurant.

Isn't this no different from those dating men and women who waste their time?

If it were Ms. Aoki two months ago, she would never have done such a thing. To use her precious piano practice time to go out with a man is simply a waste of her talents.

What about Toru Tazaki?

What was he thinking?

Do you consider this a date between a man and a woman? Or is it simply a routine outing with friends, just going through the motions?

Hina Aoki noticed that although she lived under the same roof as Toru Tazaki, she seemed to know nothing about this man.

Fortunately, Hina Aoki is a very proactive girl.

If she encounters something that puzzles her or that she can't let go of, she will definitely go all out to find out the truth.

Just like the scent of his shower gel.

I want to know what brand it is and who owns it.

She knew she was becoming strange, even though the Aoki Hina of the past was a strange girl who was only interested in musical notes.

A boring woman who can't help but click her tongue in her mind whenever she hears people around her talking about love.

"Tazaki-kun".

"Ok?"

Tazaki Toru was staring blankly out the window when he heard Aoki Hina's voice, and then slowly turned around.

"I don't think I've done anything to upset Tozaki-kun, have I?" the girl asked.

"Of course not, why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if Tazaki-kun might actually have no interest in the aquarium at all, and was worried that he was forcing you to say something against your conscience, and was just trying to please me."

Looking into the girl's eyes, Toru Tazaki remained true to his straightforward nature, not fond of beating around the bush.

"I originally thought it would be boring, but it turned out to be a little more interesting than I imagined, and it even provided some creative inspiration."

"Is that so? But Tazaki-kun looks rather uninterested."

"I was born with this face."

Huh?

He seemed to have said the same thing to another female voice actress last night.

"Thinking about it carefully, I seem to know nothing about Tazaki-kun. I don't know what your hobbies are, what your preferences are for food, whether you prefer salty or sweet food, or whether you are good at waking up early."

“I know nothing about any of these things.”

"Isn't it natural that you don't understand these things? Just like I don't understand Miss Aoki either, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to befriend you."

Hina Aoki blinked slightly, her gaze unreadable. She always managed to put on a calm and composed smile, which would make anyone want to compliment her.

That's because she's survived all this time thanks to her ever-changing cat-like face.