Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

She plucked the strings cheerfully, her fingering precise. She cleared her throat slightly, and the lyrics, which she knew by heart, flowed from her lips without her ever forgetting them.

With a weary heart and trembling eyes,

I am all alone in this world.

"In this ever-fading spring..."

At first, the melody and singing were very pleasant to listen to, and the fingering was incredibly skillful. For a moment, Tazaki Toru thought that Aoki Hina was there to show off.

She boasted that she could play "Spring Shadow" so warmly, making people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Suddenly, the music stopped at a certain point.

The musical notes inexplicably broke in two, and even the singing came to an abrupt end.

"Miss Aoki?"

The girl stared silently at the man on her phone screen, at the room he was in, above the bed, at the aurora painting, both in size and in the placement of the image.

They were exactly the same as the selfies that Tachibana Rin sent her.

83. She couldn't fall asleep.

"Beep beep beep beep beep..."

Snapped!

I turned off my phone alarm as soon as it rang once, a hundred times faster than usual.

It's not that I don't like to sleep in during holidays; if I dream of delicious food, even I can't help but stay in my dreams and wish I could get up at ten o'clock.

But I had already woken up once this morning to see them off.

Who knew that after that, the nap I had been longing for would refuse to come to me, and I couldn't get into it no matter what I did.

I can only pray that time stands still in my dreams.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste to have such a lavish meal that only appears inside?

I slowly opened my eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling for no apparent reason.

On this rare day off, I couldn't muster even the slightest thought of doing anything.

No, no, no, I absolutely cannot become a useless person like Rin-chan.

After making up my mind, I had no choice but to force myself to sit up and get out of bed, and it took me more than ten seconds just to find my slippers.

I went downstairs to wash up, threw my pajamas into the washing machine, changed into the new dress I had just bought last week, and then sat on the living room sofa in a daze, thinking about what to eat for breakfast.

Thinking about it, I immediately thought of noon.

I had unknowingly wasted an entire morning.

I grabbed some food from the refrigerator and quickly filled my stomach before going back upstairs to the music room.

Pushing open the soundproof door, I instinctively looked towards the corner, and there he was... Tazaki-kun.

It's not there.

Oh right, he went to Chiba to watch the game with Rin-chan. I wonder what time they'll be back.

I picked up the guitar next to me, sat down in the chair, and without needing to look at the sheet music, my fingers moved naturally, playing my favorite melody.

He always sits here. The practice room, which used to be where I practiced alone, seems to have completely taken over my territory since he came.

Incredibly, this wild cat, who is naturally lively and active, didn't seem to care at all about this territorial behavior.

I seem to have gotten used to him being in this music room, so looking at the empty music room now, I feel a faint sense of loneliness.

The thought that he smelled like him was barely formed in the air when the strings, which had been vibrating smoothly, suddenly snapped against the fingerboard with a long, unpleasant sound.

My fingers suddenly tensed, and for no apparent reason, I forgot how to play next.

It's a strange feeling, I can't quite put my finger on it.

I glanced at the time and realized I had only been in the music room for less than twenty minutes.

I have never felt that practicing the piano takes so long.

If it were in the past, I probably would have cheered and jumped for joy.

Doesn't that mean I can keep playing indefinitely?

Is there anything in the world more exciting than this?

But now...

Am I sick?

Otherwise, I really can't understand why Hina Aoki, a girl whose trademark is her love for music, would suddenly fall in love with daydreaming and waiting.

Time has turned into fine sand in my hand, yet I let it slip through my fingers, even secretly loosening my fist, hoping it would fall faster.

I never imagined that after arriving in Tokyo, I would become a bad girl who lacks ambition.

I looked out the window to the side, where the June sunlight streamed in at an angle, casting golden beams that spread across the floor, creating a small world where I could vaguely see wispy dust motes, like winged sprites flitting about among the beams of light.

I couldn't help but murmur:

"I wish the sun would set soon."

……

……

However, time, whether fast or slow, will eventually come, and this fairness has become my only solace now.

But there are always people who can break this rule, which makes me incredibly frustrated.

The sun sets and night falls.

I sat alone on the living room sofa, curled up, hugging my knees, my eyes glued to the Line chat window with Rin-chan.

What do you mean by "not coming back"?

What does it mean to not participate in practice tomorrow?

What level of guitar playing do you have that you even need to take a day off?

What's most infuriating is that the agent actually agreed to it?!

I haven't eaten anything decent since noon. I've been waiting for you to come home hungry, thinking that on this rare day off, we could go find a delicious restaurant together, and maybe I could invite Tazaki-kun along.

Where is Rin-chan?

Her tiny spark ignited the pent-up frustration I'd been holding in all day, and all I could do was keep sending emojis to vent.

If she can bring Tazaki-kun back immediately, then I will forgive her properly.

But even as night deepened, there was still no sign of the front door being opened.

The chat window on my phone contained a selfie she had sent me.

That laugh was terrifying.

I don't know how many times I called her, but she finally answered.

But once the call connected, all my grievances vanished, and after a long pause, I was finally able to speak in a calm voice:

"Rin-chan, aren't you coming back today?"

Once out of my sight, Rin-chan even becomes more assertive when she speaks.

When we go out together, she always hides behind me because she doesn't like communicating with strangers.

angry!

But compared to these, there seems to be something I care about even more.

"...Where is Tazaki-kun?"

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

Is this how he orders you around?

Even I have never ordered him around like that!

On the other end of the phone, Rin-chan let out a very lazy yawn, her already irritating voice becoming even more over the top.

"To be honest, I just want to lie down and go to sleep right now, but what if I fall asleep and Tazaki can't get into the room later, leaving him to sleep in the corridor all night? That would be so pitiful."

"Eh?"

What's the logic behind this?

It must be because I didn't have any snacks today, and I'm lacking sugar, so my brain isn't quite working properly.

Could it really be what I'm thinking?

No, Rin-chan may be a beautiful girl, but deep down she's just a lazy bum who only likes playing video games; she's just a pretty otaku.

Even if she were alone with Tazaki-kun, she wouldn't dare to do anything.

However, I have to admit it.

I do care a little bit, really only a tiny bit... about what she said.

I was about to speak and remind her not to forget that she is a voice actress when the phone suddenly went dead.

I stared blankly at the screen.

Did you hang up on me?

When I sent her messages or called her later, she was like the song "Spring Shadow" that was stolen by Miss Yang Gong.

They disappeared without a trace from my side.

I've made up my mind that once Rin-chan comes back, no matter how much she begs for mercy, I'll definitely torture her and do everything in my power to mock her C chord.

But before that, some concern in my heart made me want to see his face and hear his voice as soon as possible.

I had a feeling that if I didn't do this...

I'm sure I won't be able to fall asleep again tonight.