Tokyo Soft Rice King.

That night, Anri Hitomi slept soundly.

Because at this moment, she finally felt at ease.

She was also very clear about what she needed to do next.

That is to wait for the most suitable time to invest, then seize the opportunity to invest one's dowry, and then make "interest on favors" compound.

Wise ruler, I will make you owe me for a lifetime.

Chapter 213 Akiko Takanashi is a Maternal Voice Actress

At eight o'clock on Saturday morning, Kuroba Akira opened his eyes.

Perhaps because he didn't feel comfortable sleeping in an unfamiliar room, he only slept for about four hours before waking up.

His head still hurt a little, a mild aftereffect of staying up all night. Although he wanted to take a nap, he still got up, rubbing his eyes.

Because it's time to get up now and start the strategy to win over Aunt Akiko.

This is a crucial moment.

This was also important information about her mother's weaknesses that Takanashi Mirai provided last night.

……

“My mother sometimes does recording work at home on weekends, and it’s the kind of work she absolutely doesn’t want anyone to know about.”

"Although she might think I haven't found out yet, we live together, how could I not have noticed..."

"To keep me from finding out, my mom usually works while I'm asleep. But I often pretend to be asleep and play games until late at night, so she actually found out a long time ago. It's just that I feel embarrassed to expose her, so I've been pretending not to know."

"I should still be sleeping tomorrow morning, so Mom will probably be doing her voice-over work as usual. If you really intend to... uh, threaten my mom, you can wake up earlier and confront her directly."

"When the time comes, in order to get you to help cover it up, Mom will probably tell you some things she can't tell me... Of course, all of this is on the condition that she doesn't know you're already on my side."

……

As for what Aunt Akiko was doing as dubbing, Mirai Totoro did not tell him, but just looked shy and unable to speak.

The description suggests that the work should be in color.

Voice actors are also divided into two categories: inner and outer voice actors. The voice actors who dub for late-night anime and adult dramas are inner voice actors.

However, these voice actors usually just provide their voices; they don't show their faces, use their real names, or seek publicity...

Hmm? I feel like Shion might be more suited to this path?

Recalling the whispers of Ziyin that came through his phone last night, Kuroba Akira suddenly felt that this unorthodox path might actually be quite suitable for Ziyin.

However, from a man's perspective, he doesn't really want others to hear her indecent voice.

And voice actors in the adult entertainment industry probably don't earn much money, right?

Having said that, what Kuroba Akira couldn't quite understand was that Akiko Takanashi was already a top-tier national voice actor, so was there any need for her to take on such an "undignified job"?

In short, in order to find out what was going on, Kuroba Akira tiptoed out of the guest room.

Aunt Qiu's studio is on the second floor, but it is said that the soundproofing is very good, so it is difficult to hear the sounds inside the room from outside.

After thinking about the plan, Hei Yuming finally decided... to just break in!

Although it's very impolite, this is the fastest way if you want to catch someone red-handed.

The key now is to go straight to the point; if we keep going in circles, who knows how long we'll have to keep going.

After all, Aunt Qiuzi had to keep it a secret even from her own daughter, so it goes without saying that she would keep her mouth shut and not reveal a single word to outsiders.

However, when Kuroba Akira tried to turn the doorknob of the studio, he found that the door was locked.

Pshaw, are you being extra cautious because we have guests staying at our house today?

When she heard the sound of the doorknob turning, Takanashi Akiko also reacted, immediately interrupted the recording work, hurriedly turned off the recording equipment, and then opened the door.

At this moment, Akiko Takanashi had returned to normal, but her body temperature was rising due to nervousness, so she was fanning her face with her hand, and her cheeks were flushed, making her look somewhat sentimental.

"Ah, ah~ Good morning, Kuroba-kun. You're up so early. Aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"

Kuroba Akira's surprise attack failed, so he had to temporarily switch to Plan B, which was to use persuasion to expose her lies.

"Good morning, Aunt Qiuzi. You're up really early! You must have gone to bed very late last night, right?"

"Hehe, because of work, I've gotten used to working night shifts."

"What do you mean dubbing has to be done at night? Although I've heard that idols and actors have chaotic schedules because their work schedules are hard to fix, dubbing work is different from filming. It's usually done during the day, right?"

Kuroba asked the question knowing the answer already.

"This... is basically doing some localization work for foreign films..."

Akiko Takanashi's gaze was somewhat unfocused.

It's obvious that they're lying.

Then she abruptly changed the subject.

"Ah, Kuroba-kun, you must be hungry, right? Shall I make you breakfast? I also want to know what she talked about with you in the future."

"Okay, I'm a little hungry too."

"Hehe, wait a moment, I'll go make you breakfast right away. How about a bacon and egg sandwich? Or do you prefer Japanese breakfast, Kuroba-kun? I can also make grilled mackerel and miso soup."

Kuroba Akira wanted to say that he was actually more used to eating soy milk, fried dough sticks, and tea eggs... It was too strange to eat rice so early in the morning.

"A sandwich will do."

"Okay, then Kuroba-kun, you can go wash up first. I've prepared a new toothbrush and towel for you."

"Ok, thank you."

"Haha, you're welcome. Just treat it as your own home."

After washing up, Kuroba Akira went downstairs and saw Takanashi Akiko busy at the kitchen counter. He felt like he was back in his student days... Well, he is indeed a student again now.

But before, Hei Yuming never considered himself a serious student, but now it seemed that even his mood had changed back to when he was a student.

It was because Akiko Takanashi gave him such a strong sense of 'home'.

It was as if she really was his mother... Kuroba Akira even felt like calling her "Mom".

Even though Akiko is a national-level voice actress known for her maternal roles, is she really this motherly even in her daily life?

Although she was indeed Takanashi Mirai's mother, Akira Kuroba always felt that it was a bit too 'deliberate'.

Because there is no element other than "mother" in her, and no personality of "Akiko Kotori" can be seen.

This was also the second weakness, or rather, the strange thing, that Takanashi Mirai told him about his mother.

……

“My mother has always been determined to be an ‘ideal mother.’ I used to think that she was influenced by her work, but later I realized that she really intended to carry this idea through to the end.”

"However, logically speaking, shouldn't my mother be more than just a mother? She is my mother, but in front of others, she should just be 'Takanashi Akiko'. For example, if I really had a father, shouldn't she also be a wife?"

"However, I have never seen any other side of her, it's as if... she is only playing the role of 'mother'... Of course, maybe I'm just overthinking it..."

"But every time I see her showing the same motherly love to other children, I feel a little uncomfortable..."

"She's good to you, isn't she? After all, she's the 'ideal mother'..."

……

So, in fact, Takanashi Mirai had felt that her mother was a bit strange a long time ago.

Only after that sharp-tongued classmate exposed her did she no longer have the option to pretend she knew nothing.

She needs the truth.

Akira Kuroba is the same.

So while having breakfast, Hei Yuming started a new round of verbal attacks.

"Actually... I'm sorry!"

Kuroba Akira placed his hands on the table, bowed his head in apology with a guilty expression.

"what?"

Akiko Takanashi opened her mouth, surprised by Akira Kuroba's sudden apology.

"Because she suddenly becomes a shut-in in the future, I also have a certain responsibility."

"Huh? Is this related to you, Kuroba-kun?"

"Yes, I actually have a friend who aspires to become a voice actress. In order to pursue her career, she chose to give up her studies. She heard this in the future, which is why she decided not to go to school anymore."

"what……"

That's true, but in reality, Mirai Takanashi only got her inspiration from Shion.

"I see... So that kid from the future... hasn't given up on being a voice actor after all..."

"Give up? So what's your reason for not wanting her to be a voice actress?"

Kuroba Akira then asked the most crucial question.

Finally, Akiko Takanashi couldn't hold it in any longer and used Kuroba Akira as an outlet to vent her feelings and told him everything.

"...She has a fatal flaw as a voice actress: she can't control her pitch well, which results in poor singing skills and difficulty finding the right pitch when singing."

Simply put, he is tone-deaf.

Although he plays musical instruments, he doesn't seem to be very good at singing.

That's probably why I chose to become a producer and play virtual singer.

But just because she lacks talent, should she be barred from becoming a voice actress?

No! There must be another reason!

"Well, mastering pitch and singing skills can be improved through hard work, right?"

"It can be made up for through hard work..."

Akiko Takanashi acknowledged this, but then she immediately put on a very serious expression, opening her narrowed eyes wide.

"But becoming a voice actor isn't something you can achieve through hard work alone."

She is the most qualified to speak on this matter.