Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

"Um... The manager bought coffee, saying he didn't want to disturb your work, so he asked me to come in and serve it to you."

"……Thanks."

The girl placed the black coffee on the table, swallowed back all the words she wanted to say, and left with only the words, "Well, I'm leaving now."

After the girl left the lounge, Toru Tazaki looked down at the back of his hand.

It retains a slightly soft and fluffy texture, like a marshmallow coated in jam.

It should be... the face, right?

9. "Good night."

Suginami Ward, Tokyo.

Tazaki Toru took the last tram back to Kamiigusa Station.

On a nighttime street, convenience stores lit up their blue, white, and green signs. After thinking for a moment, Tazaki Toru went inside.

Because he had taken on the arrangement work, the store manager was afraid that this lifeline would run away, so he kept asking Tazaki Toru if he had any other requests.

Tazaki Toru's request was quite simple; he only asked for an advance of 20,000 yen in salary, and the shop manager handed over the money without batting an eye.

In this way, at least you won't have to worry about starving to death.

Welcome!

As the automatic door opened, music and voices began to play simultaneously.

Tazaki Toru's goal was very clear: in addition to a half-price bento box, he also placed several cans of dripping beer on the cashier's counter, waiting to pay.

In his past life, he did drink alcohol; he preferred to drink quietly at home alone, as it helped him generate inspiration.

The shop assistant was a young girl who wore slightly outdated black round-framed glasses, and her braids on the left and right sides were tied into two small buns that hung down naturally.

At that moment, Tazaki Toru was staring intently at the ballpoint pen in her left breast pocket, pondering in what situations that pen would come in handy.

Could you please confirm your age?

Tazaki Toru looked at the cashier's small face, which seemed perfectly suited to wearing glasses, and didn't know what to say.

"Can we verify your age? I'm very sorry, but that's our store policy," the clerk repeated.

Just as Tazaki Toru was about to take out his health insurance card, the female clerk stretched out both arms before she could see the card, showing Tazaki Toru her fair wrists tightly against her skin, whether as a warning or a threat, it was unclear.

"Oh, that'll happen! You'll get arrested by the police! Is it okay even then?"

Seeing Tazaki Toru's bewildered expression, the female shop assistant, who had been holding her wrists together, couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Every time she smiles, her eyes squint into a cute slit, a slit that resembles an endless horizon, hiding the rising sun.

Good evening, Mr. Tazaki.

"So you work part-time here."

"Yes, this is one of them, and it's very close to home, isn't it?"

"By the way, I highly recommend our pineapple bun! It's perfect for breakfast tomorrow morning, and it's only 87 yen."

"Then... give me one."

"Okay, trust me, you'll be addicted after just one bite, absolutely, I guarantee it!"

Seemingly rewarded for her hard work in promoting the product, the voice actress living next door had an exceptionally bright smile on her face.

"An addictive pineapple bun is really bad. I hope there are no illegal ingredients in the ingredients?" Toru Tazaki said calmly.

"It's just a metaphor! Our store doesn't sell those kinds of questionable products! Anyway, thank you for your patronage, hehe~"

Takagi Mika handed the plastic bag to Tazaki Toru, tilted her head back to gaze at his handsome face, blinked a few times, and suddenly said, "I'll be off work in three minutes."

Tazaki Toru was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and something prompted him to glance at the dark street outside the shop.

"Then I'll wait for you to go back together."

"Really? That's great!"

"Yes, it's never good for a girl to walk alone at night."

"Huh? I've been walking this road for three years now, I know it as well as I know my family's shrine, but thank you anyway."

Tazaki Toru didn't say anything more and sat down on a bench outside the convenience store. Not long after, Takagi Mika came out from inside.

"let's go."

"Ah."

The evening breeze in Tokyo in March is exceptionally pleasant.

As the cold gradually fades and spring arrives, the tranquil moonlight, shimmering with a mysterious silver glow, spills across both sides of the street, overlapping and reflecting each other, creating a hazy, indistinct effect.

All I could hear were two pairs of footsteps, one heavy and one light.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the girl beside him spoke up.

Tazaki Toru glanced at her and said slowly, "I should be thanking you. You paid my water and electricity bills, didn't you?"

"Because my family also has to pay, it's just a convenient thing."

"I'll give you the money when I get home."

Mika Takagi glanced at the convenience bag that Toru Tazaki was carrying, and smiled without hesitation: "Okay."

"Mr. Tazaki, you're finally starting to eat properly."

"I received an advance on my salary from my part-time job."

"I see."

Her steps became increasingly agile, and just by listening to the sound of her footsteps, Tazaki Toru could sense that she was in a very good mood.

You seem to be in a good mood.

"Wow! It's that obvious?"

She couldn't hide the smile on her face: "Actually, I also got a new job today."

"Congratulations on your voice acting job?"

"No, it's a stage play, but I'm just playing 'Kuroko'. Do you know what 'Kuroko' is, Mr. Tazaki?"

"It's about playing the roles of trees, pebbles, and moving props."

"It doesn't sound very impressive," Toru Tazaki said honestly.

Mika Takagi wasn't annoyed; instead, she smiled and said, "Right?"

She showed no signs of discouragement whatsoever.

“The teachers at the voice actor training school often say that hard work will never let you down, and I don’t know any other ways to work hard. When I played a stone, I would squat until my legs went numb, and when I played a tree that was uprooted in a strong wind, I would fall hard on the stage.”

Hard work will not let you down.

Tazaki Toru wouldn't say that such thoughts were wrong, but he believed that no one in the world had the right to look down on a girl who was fighting for her dreams.

"Since this kind of work exists, it means that someone has to do it. Without this step, it can't proceed."

Mika Takagi couldn't help but look surprised: "Mr. Tazaki, you're surprisingly good at encouraging people."

"However, playing Kuroko isn't actually that simple. A lot of the time you have to coordinate with the stage setup and act alongside the lead actor!"

“I see,” Tazaki Toru replied.

The two chatted casually for a while before arriving at the apartment.

Before they went back to their rooms, Tazaki Toru paid the utility bills she had paid on his behalf.

"Um, Mr. Tazaki."

"Ok?"

"Can we exchange contact information?"

"it is good."

Reality is indeed different from creative works such as comics.

Generally speaking, if such a dialogue appears in a romance comic, it is usually during a rather romantic moment.

It needs a sudden gust of wind, a warm dusk, and, of course, a flurry of cherry blossom petals to set it off.

Psychological characterization is also essential, involving mutual tug-of-war, gamesmanship, and testing, ultimately leading to a positive outcome.

It creates a deliberately romantic atmosphere that sends readers' adrenaline soaring.

Mika Takagi asked the question in a very bland manner, and Toru Tazaki's answer was also quite bland.

If I had to say what's unusual about tonight...

As they opened their respective doors, they instinctively looked at each other and opened their mouths in unison.

"Good night."

"Good night."

10. Just like a tamed wildcat.

"Tazaki-kun, you're a genius!"

"Shelter's savior! A rising star!"

Do you need me to lick your shoes?

In the backstage lounge of SHELTER, 39-year-old store manager Yoshimura was making a complete fool of himself.

"Hey, manager, this looks awful."

Standing behind Yoshimura, Miss Kuroki couldn't bear to watch any longer and couldn't help but speak up to stop him.

Even so, when she finished listening to Tazaki Toru's arrangement, her gaze towards Tazaki Toru was also filled with disbelief.

She accurately grasped the essence of the main melody, and the way she added various instruments and vocals was extremely skillful. If Toru Tazaki were a well-known arranger in the industry, she would probably only feel admiration.