Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

Too lazy to edit the photo, I just sent it to Hina Aoki.

The picture she sent was marked as "read" almost instantly, and Tachibana Rin was so happy that she rolled around on the bed.

Then she remembered that this was Tazaki Toru's bed, and she sat up straight with a "whoosh".

The phone rang again, and Tachibana Rin finally answered it.

"Hey~~"

Rin Tachibana waited for a long time, but there was no sound from the other end of the phone.

"Are you a primary school student making a silent phone call?" Ms. Tachibana asked.

"Rin-chan, aren't you coming back today?" Aoki Hina's rather indifferent voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, I've already taken a shower. I'm going to put on a face mask, eat some ice cream, and then go to sleep."

"You'll get fat."

"My face looks thin, you should worry about yourself."

"...What about practice tomorrow afternoon?"

"Don't ask me, I've taken leave."

Another silence followed.

Where is Tazaki-kun?

"I went downstairs. Oh, I forgot to ask him to buy me ice cream."

Rin Tachibana quickly sent a message to Toru Tazaki, saying that she had finished washing up and that he didn't need to wander around outside anymore, and should come back quickly.

She yawned and said, "To be honest, I'm thinking of just lying down and going to sleep right now, but what if I fall asleep and Tazaki can't get into the room, leaving him to sleep in the hallway all night? That would be so pitiful."

"Eh?"

"Oh, right! Listen to me! This hotel is outrageous! There was no water in the bathroom faucet, so I had to shower in Tazaki's room and even kicked him out, hahaha~"

"...Hello? Ms. Hina, are you angry?"

"Huh? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you really angry?"

"Oh no... my phone is dead."

Rin Tachibana pouted, unable to find a charger in the room.

On another note, did she hear the last sentence?

82. Video call.

Tazaki Toru returned to his hotel room and handed Tachibana Rin the Popico he had requested. Tachibana Rin decisively broke it open and generously gave the remaining one to Tazaki Toru.

She usually eats two sticks by herself, which shows that Tazaki Toru is gradually becoming her trusted subordinate.

"I'm going back to my room now. I have to go watch the game tomorrow. I'll come wake you up in the morning."

For a girl who is always sleepy-eyed every morning and practically begs Hina Aoki to let her sleep for just five more minutes, this statement inevitably sounds a bit absurd.

But Tazaki Toru didn't care about such things. Even if Tachibana Rin asked Tazaki Toru to wake her up early in the morning, Tazaki Toru wouldn't even frown, and would just calmly reply "okay".

"Um... Tazaki."

"Ok?"

She stood quietly at the door, holding the clothes she had changed out of, a smile somewhat similar to the one she wore during the day.

"Thank you so much for today."

Tazaki Toru found this really strange; she had paid for the hotel room and was even thanking us.

"You're welcome, goodnight, Ms. Tachibana," Tazaki Toru replied.

"Huh? Oh... Goodnight."

pat.

Tazaki Toru swiftly closed the door, and Tachibana Rin could faintly hear the sound of the security chain being fastened.

The girl's smile was somewhat stiff and remained unchanged for a long time, like a still photograph.

Hmph! He's definitely going back to do something shady!

Miss Tachibana thought to herself as she turned and walked into the room across the hall.

inside the house.

A pleasant and familiar perfume scent lingered in the air; after all, Tazaki Toru was already used to smelling this scent at home.

Just as I was about to lie down on the bed for a short rest, my phone rang at an inopportune moment.

After the call connected, a very gentle and sweet girl's voice came from the other end.

"Hey, Tazaki-kun?"

Good evening, Ms. Hina.

Good evening. Sorry to bother you so late.

"will not."

The girl's laughter seemed to possess an incredible magic; even through the phone, Toru Tazaki could imagine her adorable face with a gentle smile.

"What do you think, Tazaki-kun? How about a trip?"

"Travel? This counts as travel?"

"Why not? Of course it counts. Look at how happy Rin-chan is. Anyone who didn't know better would think she went to find freedom."

Tazaki Toru recalled the genuine joy of Tachibana Rin sitting in the competition venue during the day, and couldn't help but chuckle, "That's absolutely right."

"........."

"Miss Aoki?"

"Oh, sorry, I was daydreaming."

After thinking for a moment, Tazaki Toru said, "Miss Aoki, you must have something to tell me."

"You could have guessed that?"

"I don't know why, but that's how I see Miss Aoki."

"Huh? Is this some kind of mockery, implying that I must have some ulterior motive for coming to see Tazaki-kun?"

You know perfectly well that's not what I meant.

Tazaki Toru pondered for a moment and said, "It's probably because Ms. Aoki has an image in my mind that is very ambitious and knows how to maintain social distance."

"If it's not something important, given Miss Aoki's personality, she'll probably only bring it up casually after I return to Tokyo."

"...Nothing can be hidden from Tazaki-kun."

"Did I guess right?"

"Yes, exactly!"

Tazaki Toru hummed in agreement, waiting for Aoki Hina to continue.

"Tazaki-kun, let me tell you, I keep making mistakes when I play the guitar lately."

"Although the teacher did not criticize me openly, I know that I have been making the same mistakes. I am very concerned about it and want to know what is wrong with me."

"This is keeping me up at night. When Rin was around, I could tease her on purpose."

"I half-jokingly mocked her C chord, but she's not here tonight, leaving me alone at home, and that feeling makes it even harder for me to close my eyes."

"So I went to the music room and played for more than an hour, but my fingers were so stiff that they wouldn't obey my commands, like they had been planting potatoes in a field in Hokkaido in winter all afternoon."

"I wish I could break it off and bury it in the ground along with the potato to vent my anger."

"Who else grows potatoes in Hokkaido during the winter like me? My hometown is in Miyagi!"

"So... that's why I'm bothering you late at night, just so Tazaki-kun can hear if my guitar has really deteriorated."

What an ambitious and good child!

After hearing this, Tazaki Toru sighed in this way.

Perhaps to others, what Hina Aoki was talking about was a trivial matter.

For example, Tachibana Rin.

If you can't play it accurately, so be it. Eat and drink as usual.

But for Aoki Hina, such a small thing would be enough to keep her up at night. Sometimes, a mental block can be overcome with a good night's sleep, but sometimes, it may never be overcome.

"I understand, I will listen."

"Really? Thank you, Tazaki-kun."

"Then... can we have a video call?"

"Now?"

"Now!"

"it is good."

Tazaki Toru placed his phone on the table almost without hesitation. After the voice call switched to a video call, the screen showed Ms. Aoki holding a guitar.

"Tazaki-kun, Tazaki-kun... Can you see me? Yahoo~~~"

On the screen, Hina Aoki smiled broadly, waving happily at the camera. The youthful sweetness that almost overflowed from her smile was not diminished by the phone's resolution.

"Yes, I can see it."

"I can see Tazaki-kun too~ Hehe~~"

Since it was a video call, it was natural that Tazaki Toru's figure was also recorded by the camera and sent to Aoki Hina, who was dozens of kilometers away.

At this moment, Hina Aoki was sitting in the music room, holding the beginner guitar she had bought for 10,000 yen.

With the phone clipped to the stand and pointed at myself, Tazaki Toru on the screen looked as cool and handsome as ever.

He was the only one in the room.