I am a voice actor, not your emotional support

"is it?"

"Ah."

-

Arriving at a 24-hour pub, Matsuoka Makoto and Shimazaki Nobunaga sat on one side, and let Uehara Toru sit in the middle. As soon as the three of them sat down, they began to talk.

Let’s start by talking about our experiences before becoming a voice actor.

"Mr. Uehara, you were selected by the agency in just one year?" Matsuoka Makoto seemed quite surprised when he heard this.

"You graduated in just one year and were picked by the agency. Mr. Uehara, you are the chosen one!" Shimazaki Nobunaga also exclaimed.

Uehara Toru: "That's nothing. You two are..."

In the third year of his debut, Matsuoka Makoto got the leading role, and successfully won the 6th Seiyuu Award for New Actor that year through this leading role.

Like Matsuoka, Shimazaki Nobunaga won the main role in the third year of his official debut, and in the fourth year he played the protagonist Gokawa Shido in the then very popular anime "Date A Live". In the same year, he also won the Newcomer Actor Award, which can be said to be his first appearance after Matsuoka.

One of the urban legends about Shimazaki Nobunaga is that he participated in the 81produce audition and was just one step away from being selected before he received any formal acting training.

This shows how talented he is.

"I really can't do it. Although I got the leading role early, luck played a big role..." Matsuoka smiled bitterly, "Like you, I came to Tokyo when I was 18 years old, but I spent five years studying at the voice actor school, and was not accepted by the agency until the fifth year."

"It was already a desperate situation at that time. If it hadn't worked, I would have been working as a car mechanic in my hometown now."

Shimazaki Nobunaga: "Haha, so, Uehara-san, you don't have to worry about your inability to act. Your acting skills are very good, especially when you played Muzan."

"I'll tell you a secret. When you recited the arrogant line of Muzan, I actually think you are more suitable for this role than Senior Guan."

Matsuoka nodded repeatedly: "Really, in that scene, I thought you were Muzan himself, and Uehara-san, your image is so good... A cosplay is simply a one-to-one restoration..."

Toru Uehara was naturally delighted when he heard the praise from his two seniors, but he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

However, he didn't expect that this was just the beginning of the night...

-

I really drank all night.

Before leaving, Matsuoka Makoto supported the drunk Shimazaki Nobunaga and said to Uehara Toru with a smile, "It's daybreak now, and the train has started running."

"Uehara-san... or, Tooru?"

"Is it okay for me to call you that?" Matsuoka displayed the demeanor of a senior with a sincere attitude and behaved very gently.

"Of course." Uehara Toru felt a little dizzy, and he couldn't remember how much he drank last night. However, thanks to his good alcohol tolerance, he was able to stay sober and go home on his own.

"Che, in our line of work, it's common to encounter many strong people who don't play by the rules, but you don't have to always think about surpassing them or doing anything special."

"All we have to do is to do our best and give it our all. As long as you can do this, sooner or later someone will recognize you."

“The job of a voice actor is not to win, but to express oneself.”

“It’s just like our acting.”

After hearing this, Uehara Toru nodded seriously: "Thank you for your advice."

"Then will we have a chance to continue drinking together in the future?"

"no problem."

After bidding farewell to his two seniors, Toru Uehara took the train back to Kawasaki.

Inside the carriage, he gazed out the window and watched the sun slowly rise, its rays piercing the horizon and casting a soft but dazzling glow over the buildings.

The sunlight gradually shone on Toru Uehara's body. He felt that his heart, which was still a little cold last night, was now surrounded by this warm light and felt a little warmer.

"It's not about winning over anyone, it's about showing yourself..."

"I remember."

-

When Toru Uehara returned to his apartment in Kawasaki, he was about to take out his keys, but when he went upstairs, he was surprised to find a child sitting in front of his door, wrapped in only a thin blanket.

Rencai leaned to the side, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she had also experienced a struggle in her sleep.

Finally, she slowly opened her eyes, her vision gradually became clear, and what came into view was the familiar figure.

After a brief moment of confusion, Renai quickly came to her senses. She wrapped the blanket tightly around her, stood up, and shouted to Uehara Toru with a tone of worry and blame: "Idiot Toru!"

"You still know how to come back!"

"I didn't reply to messages yesterday and I wasn't at home. Where on earth did I go?"

"Stupid—ah—Qiu!" The child couldn't help but sneeze, and then looked at him with a resentful look.

Toru Uehara looked at the child and a smile slowly formed at the corners of his mouth.

"Sorry, I'm back."

At this moment, under Nina's gaze, Uehara Toru's smile seemed more dazzling than the sparkling waves on the Tama River, and that warm feeling was something she had never felt before.

"Stupid, stupid!"

Volume 1: Chapter 41: Jinna's Determination

"You were waiting at the door all night last night?" Uehara Toru asked, looking at Renna who was wrapped in a blanket behind him.

Rencai shivered and snorted, "Who would wait for you here all night? I, I'm not stupid!"

"Aqiu!——"

"come over."

Renai sniffed and walked over to Uehara Toru, but she didn't expect him to reach out and touch her forehead.

"Have breakfast here later, and then you can go home and sleep."

"I just got here and you're sending me away!"

"Don't push your luck." Uehara Toru tapped her head.

"Go sit over there."

Although she was somewhat dissatisfied with Toru Uehara's orders, the little sister's body obeyed involuntarily and sat down according to his instructions.

Toru Uehara turned around and found a casserole from his pile of kitchen utensils.

Since the child has a cold, it is best to eat some warm and nutritious porridge.

At this moment, his thoughts were no different from those of a parent.

It might seem silly that Renai was sitting outside alone waiting for him, but sometimes, it was these silly actions that could touch people's hearts, just like the agent did last night.

"Where did you go last night?" Of course, it was impossible for Nina to just wait there obediently. Her nose had lost its sense of smell and she couldn't smell anything, but Uehara Toru didn't come home all night, so he definitely didn't do anything good.

Must ask clearly!

"I had a drink with friends and talked about work."

"How about you, how was the performance, did it go well?"

Renai frowned, "Male or female?"

Uehara Toru smiled: "What does it have to do with you whether it's a boy or a girl?"

Renai curled her lips: "I'm just worried that you did something bad and got cheated."

"A man, a manager, and two voice actor seniors."

Toru Uehara is in a good mood right now, so he won't be picky with others for the time being.

"So that's how it is." The child was happy. She smiled and asked, "Then, what about your audition?"

"what's the result?"

After hearing this, Toru Uehara paused and did not respond, but his hands did not stop moving.

He planned to make a simple seafood porridge with scallops and dried shrimps, which would take about 20 to 30 minutes to stew before being eaten.

After finishing the work at hand and entering the stage where only the stewing and waiting was required, Toru Uehara responded.

"Failed."

"Eh?"

"Why, why?"

Uehara Toru glanced at her with a half-smile: "Do you still need to ask this?"

Renai quickly avoided his gaze, like a frightened kitten, and didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Just quietly observing Toru Uehara's appearance at the moment, she couldn't help but feel a little sad in her heart.

Is that so? So you went out to drink to relieve your sorrow because you failed?

It seems that blessings are useless...

In the next half hour, Renai became unusually quiet. She didn't say anything. She just curled up into a ball, quietly sitting on the sofa, waiting.

Toru Uehara did not take the initiative to talk to her, but was concentrating on cooking the porridge, stirring it from time to time, observing the degree of doneness of the rice grains, and deciding whether to add water based on the situation.

"Well, it's ready." Toru Uehara tried the taste and after making sure it was ok, he put on some heat-insulating gloves and brought the casserole to the coffee table.

Since there was nothing to pad it with, he simply used Uehara Tetsu's own notebook.

The hot porridge exudes an alluring aroma, with white steam gently curling around. The porridge has just the right texture, not too thick, but not too full, and looks melt-in-the-mouth smooth. The overall color is a soft light yellow, dotted with a little chopped green onion, adding a touch of fresh green.

Japanese people cannot make this kind of porridge. It originated from Guangdong and Guangxi in China. It's a pity that the ingredients are a bit simple, otherwise with high-quality fresh seafood, you can definitely stew a more delicious seafood porridge.

Toru Uehara took out two small bowls, filled one for Nina, and placed it in front of her.

"Draw a circle along the edge of the bowl and eat slowly so you don't burn your mouth."

Renai was in low spirits at this moment. She raised her head, her eyes fell on Uehara Toru, and she said softly: "You have been... working very hard during this period, but..."

"Okay, I'm not that fragile. I can try again if I fail. How about some porridge? Or do you want me to feed you?"

Toru Uehara said unhappily, obviously not wanting to continue discussing this topic with the child.

Rencai pursed her lips, sat down obediently, and began to taste the bowl of porridge.

Following Uehara Toru's instructions, he ate the food bit by bit along the edge of the bowl.

The taste of the porridge is a blend of salty, fragrant, fresh and sweet. This is a unique flavor that Rencai has never tasted before, and it is still as delicious as usual.

However, when Nina learned the results of Uehara Toru's audition, she couldn't feel relieved at all.

Every time Renai took a few mouthfuls of porridge, she would secretly look up and observe Uehara Toru. Through the layer of heat, she saw the fatigue on his face, and she couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.

I really want to say something, but I can't say anything.

"Would you like another bowl?"

"Um……"

Jinna had another bowl of porridge. When she had almost finished eating, Uehara Toru rummaged through his medical box, took out medicine for the cold, picked up a bottle of water, and handed the pills and water to her.

"Go back and have a good rest after eating. You'll be fine when you wake up."

"There are still these left. Do you want to pack them up and take them back?"

Uehara Tetsu cooked quite a lot, so maybe if Renai took some back she could share it with Momoka, so it wouldn't be a waste.

"..."

"I'll put it in an incubator for you."

"Thank you."

After everything was packed, Uehara Toru patted Renai's head and said, "You can go now. I need to rest."

Renai took the bag and nodded obediently as usual.

However, when changing shoes at the entrance, Uehara Toru added another sentence.

"I will put the key to my house on top of the fire cabinet. If you don't see me, just use the key to open the door and come in."

"So as not to be out there freezing like a fool like last night."

After saying that, Toru Uehara turned around and prepared to get some clothes, take a shower and go to bed.

However, to his surprise, he immediately heard the sound of something falling to the ground, and the rapid footsteps of someone's small feet stepping on the ground.