Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

His slender fingers strummed a melody on the 37-key MIDI keyboard. The feel of the pads was just so-so, but that didn't affect Tazaki Toru's performance.

"Like this, like this... See, it's been recorded, isn't it?"

Tazaki Toru withdrew his hand, opened the wardrobe, took out an employee jacket, and put it on.

"Alright, manager, you're busy. I'm going to mop the floor."

Yoshimura glanced at the screen, then at Tazaki Toru, and was completely bewildered.

Eh?

"Tazaki-kun, do you know how to use FL Studio?"

“I’ve studied it before, but I still prefer cakewalk and Reason.”

"What about the arrangement?"

"Manager, is it possible that people who don't do music composition don't need to learn these things?"

Tazaki Toru was well-versed in the ways of the world, and rather than recommending himself, he thought it better to have the shopkeeper ask him for a favor.

As expected, after receiving an affirmative answer, Yoshimura's gaze towards Tazaki Toru gradually changed.

"Quick! Teach me how to use it! Please, I can do anything!"

He claims he'll do anything, but does he really understand the meaning of that statement?

"How about you mop the floor for me?"

"I'll drag it!"

"Uh... I was just kidding."

……

……

After an unknown amount of time, the girl's shouts came from outside the lounge.

"Is the store manager here? I've come to pick up my guitar."

Oshima Haruna skipped and hopped as she opened the door to the lounge, wondering why she hadn't seen Tazaki Toru mopping the floor outside today, when she witnessed an unbelievable scene.

The bearded middle-aged man, like a child, was full of excitement, his gaze shifting back and forth between the computer screen and Tazaki Toru's face.

Holding a fan belonging to some underground idol, she sat next to Tazaki Toru and gently fanned him.

Tazaki Toru sighed again: "Well, manager."

"What are your orders, Tazaki-kun?"

"Stop fanning yourself, it's cold."

8. This is the price that includes a smile. (Please continue reading during the new book period)

"Oh oh~~"

"hiss!"

"stare……"

Tazaki Toru felt extremely uncomfortable, as if ants were crawling on his back.

He was sitting in the lounge, with three statues standing behind him: Yoshimura, the store manager; Kuroki, the sound engineer; and Oshima Haruna, who had come to pick up her guitar.

The three of them had curiosity written all over their faces, their eyes darting back and forth between Toru Tazaki and the computer screen, occasionally making strange noises. Toru Tazaki had no idea what they were marveling at.

In short, he now feels like a penguin that has been separated from its flock and is being watched by humans.

"Well, manager, I need to go out and sell tickets now."

"There's still plenty of time, no rush."

"I haven't mopped the floor yet."

"I can't write if you keep looking at me like that."

"Then let's go out."

"........."

Finally, Tazaki Toru couldn't take it anymore and promised to stay after the live show ended that night, and only then did the manager agree to let him leave.

Yoshimura originally just wanted Tazaki Toru to teach him how to use music production software, but in the process, Tazaki Toru intentionally or unintentionally showed off his music production skills.

Although Yoshimura wasn't good at arranging music, he had been making music for decades and immediately recognized that Tazaki Toru wasn't the kind of third-rate guy who could only add a few simple chords.

He had just gotten a free lunch, and he blurted out a string of "okay, okay, okay," before looking at Tazaki Toru with hopeful eyes.

After a while, the task of arranging the music finally fell to Toru Tazaki.

The reason it's called arrangement is because these three songs have a main melody, and Toru Tazaki only needs to arrange them based on that.

That being said, arranging music is not something that can be done casually by simply moving your fingers.

After leaving the lounge, Tazaki Toru went to the front desk to sell tickets, where there were a few customers queuing up outside.

With the availability of online booking, tickets are now 1000 yen cheaper than buying them on-site, leading many people to choose to purchase tickets online.

Based on Tazaki Toru's experience these past few days, working part-time at a live house is not a boring job.

During live performances, he would sit behind the drinks bar and enjoy the music just like the audience when no one came to buy drinks.

Today's live performance will be slightly different.

Haruna Oshima walked in and sat down in the chair next to Toru Tazaki.

She was standing in the front row yesterday, watching very attentively, but today she seems to have lost interest.

"There aren't any great guitarists today," she said.

Tazaki Toru glanced at her with slight surprise: "You just came to watch someone play guitar?"

"No, I mainly came to learn from them."

"Stealing techniques?"

Tazaki Toru guessed that she probably wanted to form a band or something.

"Well, I've never played an electric guitar before, but I recently got a job that requires me to play it..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately covered her mouth, nervously looked around to make sure no one had noticed their conversation, and then breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Yes, I didn't let anything slip.

That project is currently in the confidential stage, and she absolutely cannot reveal it to the outside world.

The girl coughed lightly to cover up her embarrassment and said, "Anyway, I'm currently going from house to house looking for guitarists who play really well, to see if I can learn a few tricks from them."

Regardless of whether this method is effective, Toru Tazaki doesn't dislike her initiative.

"Let's not talk about me anymore, what about you?"

"I?"

"You clearly know a lot, so why are you doing part-time work? Ah! Wait a minute, let me guess."

She raised her hand and stroked her chin, as if deep in thought.

Tazaki Toru wasn't in a hurry; he glanced sideways at the girl.

Her face was exceptionally delicate, exuding a softness, like a marshmallow coated in jam; just by getting close and taking a gentle sniff, one could smell its sweetness.

"I know, you must want to form a band and come to the live house to find teammates so you can poach all the talented ones."

"Unfortunately, I'm just here to work."

Upon hearing this, Oshima Haruna was greatly shocked.

She thought she had guessed correctly.

According to Haruna Oshima's thinking, it's really hard to understand why Toru Tazaki, who has a special skill, would be working as a cleaner at a small live house.

"why?"

"The hourly wage is 1580 yen."

"So tall?" Oshima Haruna exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, this is the price that includes a smile."

After saying that, a female customer came over to place an order. Tazaki Toru served her the drink and gave her his usual slight smile, which made her very happy. She reluctantly took the drink and left, looking back every few steps.

Upon seeing this, Oshima Haruna revealed a very subtle expression.

To be honest, she wasn't interested in that at all; things like romance and feelings were irrelevant to her.

She wished she could devote all her energy to music, even if there were 48 hours in a day, it wouldn't be enough for her to vent.

Why would anyone want to spend their time dating someone of the opposite sex, making phone calls, or even just spacing out and waiting for a reply?

If given the time, Haruna Oshima would tirelessly pluck the strings until her knuckles could no longer move.

Finally, disregarding her image, she collapsed to the ground, yelling, "I never want to play the piano again!" and slept soundly until time changed. When she woke up, she continued playing the altered chords she hated.

That would be satisfying.

After the live performance ended, Tazaki Toru, as usual, cleaned up the inside and outside areas. Most of the guests lined up to leave, while the rest stayed to wait for the bar's opening time.

After speaking with the store manager, the manager hoped that Tazaki Toru could stay tonight to work on the arrangement so that he could catch the last train home.

Naturally, they wouldn't let Tazaki Toru work for free; in addition to overtime pay, they would also pay for the arrangement.

However, the prerequisite is that Tazaki Toru must first produce a demo, and then the arrangement by Tazaki Toru will be purchased at a reasonable price.

After clearly explaining and interpreting the main melody and the song's message, in order not to disturb Tazaki Toru, the dressing room was left for Tazaki Toru to use alone, allowing him to focus on composing the music.

This job was something that Tazaki Toru was very familiar with.

Completely absorbed in his work, Tazaki Toru let out a long breath after what seemed like an eternity, stretched his arms high, and unexpectedly bumped into something soft.

Tazaki Toru shuddered and turned around to find Oshima Haruna standing behind him, blushing and touching her cheeks.

Tazaki Toru was slightly flustered as he took the monitoring headphones off his head, afraid of touching something he shouldn't.

"Ms. Oshima, you're still in the shop..."