Tokyo Soft Rice King

Have you ever seen the Bund at 4am?

The more he thought about it, the more miserable he felt. Hei Yuming secretly swore to himself that he would never be a corporate slave again in his life.

I will absolutely train this ultimate beautiful girl in front of me to become a top voice actor! I am the idolmaster!

Unfortunately, the girl did not use this default address, but instead used a cold look to signal him to continue.

"As for your significant other's life, that's your own private life. Whether it's cultivating hobbies, traveling, enjoying delicious food, or raising cats and dogs... In short, do whatever you want in your private time. Just be careful not to get caught in paparazzi photos. I won't interfere with your private life in any way."

So this is what he meant by half of his life...

The girl felt ashamed of herself for having such a wrong idea, and decided not to be swayed by the boy's words again.

"Well, if anything were to happen that would damage your reputation, I would still intervene... So first, let me ask you, are you a virgin?"

"……what?"

The girl frowned and showed an unhappy expression, and her heart, which had just calmed down, was in turmoil again.

Why is he asking this?!

He, he, he, she asked this if she had that kind of thought about my body?

Hei Yuming raised his hands to show that he meant no offense.

"It's okay if you don't want to answer, but you have to remember that if someone asks you this question in the future, you have to politely express that you are still a virgin, and it's best if you have zero dating experience. Got it?"

"……Why?"

"Because I want you to be a pure and cool goddess."

"Pure... aloof goddess?"

"Yes, it's about making everyone think you're an untouchable, undesecrated goddess. So the first impression you leave on the public must be 'clean.' Even if you're a voice actor who doesn't show your face, this impression is very important. It will give your voice a 'clean' label, and thus expand your fan base."

Of course, there is another half that Hei Yuming did not say, which is that this impression can actually stimulate people's delusions and possessiveness.

The cleaner something is, the more people want to defile it.

The high and mighty goddess has never been touched by anyone.

This fact will give fans the illusion and expectation that "maybe I am the lucky one who has the chance to have an intimate relationship with my idol."

You know, being an idol is a profession that sells dreams.

"So in front of the public, you'd better remain a virgin forever, and keep it until you retire."

"I know, I'm a virgin."

"Very good, that's it, but don't be so direct. It would be better if you could be a little shy."

"I, I don't have that kind of experience yet..."

"Yes, yes, that's what it feels like!"

Hei Yuming nodded with satisfaction.

Although the girl with long black hair could still maintain a straight expression at this moment, she was actually so embarrassed that she was about to faint on the spot.

I actually had to emphasize this point over and over again in front of him...

And the key is.

She really is a virgin.

Chapter 19 Purple Palace Ziyin

"Now that we've talked about character image, let's talk about the specific path. Do you know how to become a voice actor?"

The girl with long black hair shook her head.

At this age, JK may not even have decided on a university to apply to, let alone a future career.

Although Japan has career surveys, students who really know what they want to do in the future are still a minority.

Most students are still keen on club activities, or they are thinking about where to go after school, what songs to sing in KTV, and what to eat.

They are all singing praises of youth and are still in a carefree period without any plans for the future.

Therefore, people like Kuroba Akira, who have extremely clear goals and methods, can be said to be outliers among students.

"Let me tell you, generally speaking, if you want to become a voice actor, you first need to receive training at a specialized school or a voice actor training center. Then, you need to apply for a new recruit at a voice actor agency. If you're lucky, you'll be registered as a full-time voice actor by the agency. Then, you'll start out as a regular voice actor, showcasing your unique talents and accumulating experience. Gradually, you'll receive important roles, continue to accumulate experience, and eventually become a well-known voice actor in the industry... This is roughly the normal voice actor development process."

"Ah."

The girl listened to the explanation carefully and gained a basic understanding of her future.

"Then there's the second route, which is to join a theatre company now, gain experience there, and then switch to voice acting. Because your acting skills and vocal techniques are honed through the live performances of the theatre company, you'll be able to pick up voice acting quickly. And with a theatre company background as a gateway, you might be able to land important roles more quickly."

"Ah."

"In short, it is 'absolutely' impossible for an outsider to quickly enter the industry and become a voice actor."

"Hmm...eh?"

The girl was listening attentively, but suddenly realized that the 'outsider' he was talking about was herself.

"And if you're unwilling to show your face, then your appearance will turn from an advantage into a disadvantage, and it will become a huge obstacle to your success as a voice actor."

"Why!"

"Because sponsors prefer to choose voice actors with better looks in order to increase sales, if you refuse to show up, the voice actor agency will think your idea is a waste and pretentious."

"..."

The girl fell silent after hearing this. Her willfulness would ruin her career path... As expected, this appearance was a curse.

But since I have made up my mind to build a career with him, I have to give up my naivety.

Just when the girl decided to tell Kuroba Akira that she was okay with showing up, Kuroba Akira said.

"But it doesn't matter. I've already thought of a solution."

"Is there any solution?"

"Of course, this is the third path we're going to take. After all, whether it's receiving training or joining a troupe, you need money as a stepping stone. However..."

Hei Yuming spread his hands to indicate that he had no money.

A girl who ran away from home and a boy who lived under someone else's roof, the two of them together couldn't even afford a single yen.

Moreover, the training cycle for these two routes is too long, and Hei Yuming doesn't want to waste time.

“So you have to hone your acting skills and voice through self-study.”

"You actually learned it by yourself..."

"Yeah, this is the only solution. After all, we have nothing. Those who switched from completely unrelated jobs to the voice acting industry, the so-called dream chasers, also relied on self-study in the beginning."

"Um……"

It is indeed zero cost, but... is it really possible to learn by yourself?

If you can become a voice actor by self-study, then everyone can be a voice actor, right?

It is because we don’t know the way and how to learn that we need someone to lead us.

But the boy didn't know where he got the confidence from, and gave the girl a thumbs up and said.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you what to practice and how to practice. As long as you practice hard, you'll be able to become a famous voice actor in no time!"

Although Kuroba Akira has never been a voice actor, he worked as a character dubbing supervisor when he was making games in his previous life. That is, he selected suitable candidates from multiple voice actors, then went to the recording studio to listen to the voice actors' dubbing to see if it was good enough, and gave suggestions on the direction of modification.

Therefore, he has an accurate judgment on whether this voice is suitable for this role.

Moreover, as the "selector and nitpicker", he is very clear about the needs and also knows very clearly "what kind of voice actors can be selected".

Therefore, he is confident that he can train the girl to become a capable voice actor.

"Once you've practiced, we'll record a voiceover ourselves and then send the audition file to the voice actor agency we're interested in. Impress the agency with your voice first. That way, even if they see your appearance later, they won't pay as much attention to your looks. It's that simple."

"..."

It turns out... he has thought so much.

He seriously wants to become a voice actor.

"So, it's going to be very busy from now on! So busy that I'll even want to borrow a cat's paw!"

Being so busy that I want to borrow a cat's hand is a Japanese proverb, which means being extremely busy.

Hei Yuming wanted to grab Hei Wei's claws to show off, but was scratched twice by Hei Wei instead. He really didn't cooperate at all...

After being tickled, Heiwei ran to the feet of the girl with long black hair and meowed, still asking for milk.

The girl squatted down, unscrewed the cap of the milk bottle in her hand, then used the cap to collect the milk and placed it in front of Kuroo.

Hei Yuming was a little surprised. Didn’t she want to drink it by herself?

Would you trade half your life for a bottle of cat milk?

But exchanging milk for one's life is already outrageous.

Selling your life at a low price probably means you don't want to leave yourself a way out.

"I have to say thank you."

"Meow~"

Kuroo licked up the milk and let out a happy cry.

"What's it called?"

"Kuroo."

"Well, thank you, Kuroo."

Thank you for finding me.

Thank you also for bringing this person to me.

The turning point in life is when a slight mistake can lead to a huge loss.

If I hadn't met him, I might have become a so-called god-waited girl or even a street prostitute selling my body.

"how about you?"

"Oh, come to think of it, we haven't exchanged names yet..."

It's strange that we haven't known each other's names even after chatting for such a long time and even signing a cooperation contract.

Hei Yuming shook his head and laughed, then put his hands on his hips and said.

"My name is Kuroba Akira, and I'm just an ordinary high school boy."

"Hei Yu Ming...Hei Yu, Ming...Ming..."

The girl repeated the name over and over again, as if to memorize it, until she could call him just that...

"Mingjun, can I call you that?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

In Japan, it seems that only people with whom one has a good relationship will call someone by their first name. People usually use their surnames as a respectful title. For example, the class monitor calls him "Kuroba-kun" or "Kuroba-san".

But Hei Yuming actually doesn't care much about this. He used to work in a game company and used nicknames more often.

"I've told you my name, so you have to tell me yours too."

"I'm Ziyin of the Purple Palace. You can also call me by my name, Ziyin."

“Oh wow…”

The name Ziyin reminded Hei Yuming of a sadistic white-haired maid, which was the complete opposite of Hei Long Straight Hair.

"Any questions?"

"No, I think this name has a good meaning. Just by looking at the name, I know that you will definitely become very famous. You will be very famous, so famous that you will be black and purple."

"Strange statement..."

What Kuroba Akira said after that was actually a pun, but it didn't have that flavor when said in Japanese.