Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

Such a close inspection confirmed Tazaki Toru's suspicions once again.

That face alone is enough to be considered a gift.

They don't even need to speak; just standing there, and if they can elicit a smile, it only adds to their charm.

She bowed deeply to everyone in the sound room, like a little girl shivering in the cold wind, yet always standing tall and undeterred, striking up conversations with passersby to ask if they needed to buy matches.

"I am Yozuki Soda from Platinum Agency. Nice to meet you today."

She looked extremely nervous, and Toru Tazaki could see her drooping fingers trembling slightly.

Despite her nervousness, she tried her best to show her sweet smile.

This smile felt strangely familiar to Toru Tazaki; he had seen it on Mika Kohinata countless times.

Knowing full well of his shortcomings and lacking sufficient confidence to keep his legs from trembling, he could only use a harmless smile to highlight himself.

Try to convince yourself with a smile that you can do it.

Judging people by their appearance is truly a foolish thing.

For the first time, Toru Tazaki proved this to himself.

203. Two completely different girls.

In the recording studio.

A girl with long hair stood in the center, singing a new song written by Toru Tazaki.

His expression and voice both revealed his anxiety and unease.

This unease was clearly transmitted to Toru Tazaki's ears through the speaker.

Unexpectedly, Toru Tazaki did not continue to frown.

He simply sat silently in his seat, watching intently as Yozuki Sora sang with all his might in the recording studio through the transparent glass.

As Tazaki Toru has stated many times, he does not judge anyone based on their appearance or ability.

There may be moments when one's emotions are affected, but Toru Tazaki is usually able to quickly adjust his mindset and not act impulsively.

What Tazaki Toru admires most are those who give their all for their dreams.

Her singing was immature, her vocal technique was lacking, and her head voice sounded slightly hoarse.

This is due to prolonged singing recently without sufficient technique and functional support, resulting in slight wear and tear on the vocal cords.

Tazaki Toru could clearly feel this, and he believed that the others in the sound room could feel it as well.

After the audition, Ms. Handa returned to the sound room to greet everyone.

Although she was smiling, the unease in her expression was even greater than before.

Clearly, Yozuki Sora knew in her heart that her previous performance had not been outstanding.

To put it bluntly, he has a very plain voice.

However, since today was just an audition, the supervisor and others told her to relax and not to be too reserved. They said they would assign a dedicated vocal coach to guide her in the future.

Tazaki Toru could clearly sense that the director and others spoke in a particularly relaxed tone. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could vaguely sense that she wasn't taken seriously.

Or rather, her role wasn't given much attention.

Not long after, Ms. Sono bowed and left.

The director and others were going to have a meeting to discuss the casting of Mika Mika, but Toru Tazaki was not involved.

Therefore, after exchanging pleasantries, they also left the recording building.

Not long after I stepped out of the recording building, I saw Ms. Sora in the distance. She was carrying a canvas backpack, looking down at her phone, and glancing around for a while, as if she was confirming her direction.

Tazaki Toru wasn't intentionally following them; they were simply walking in the same direction.

If they were closer, Tazaki Toru might strike up a conversation with the other person for social reasons.

However, they weren't close enough to be seen together; they could still see her from a distance.

If you deliberately run over to say hello and people see you, it will inevitably arouse some speculation.

After all, Tazaki Toru and she had only met twice, and were practically strangers. When they greeted each other in the sound room, Tazaki Toru did not greet her separately.

The other party might not even recognize Tazaki Toru.

So, Tazaki Toru could only walk slowly, and Miss Sonoda's figure never left his sight.

Until she reached a certain intersection, she turned into a nearby building.

Tazaki Toru looked around; he was all too familiar with this kind of place.

He had worked part-time at a famous live house in Shimokitazawa, and he knew exactly what kind of place it was at a glance.

It was still afternoon, but outside this unknown live house, a large crowd had already gathered in line, mostly young men wearing glasses.

Many people wore headscarves and held up support signs and fans.

Upon seeing Ms. Sonoda, there was a slight commotion at first, but then they neatly made way for her.

It's like a scene from a fantasy movie, where a flick of the finger can split a river in two—it's incredibly magical.

The scene was just right.

Miss Sonoda greeted them with a smile and waved to them repeatedly.

You could keep hearing her say things like "Thank you everyone" and "See you tonight."

The autumn wind blew her cheeks red, making her delicate apple cheeks even more captivating.

The otaku around her were exceptionally well-behaved; they neither made a fuss nor came up to ask for autographs. They simply called out "Ha-chan~ Ha-chan~" as they watched her enter the building.

She waved the banner vigorously, as if a single glance from her would make them willingly empty their wallets.

Otaku are obviously very kind and friendly, and not everything they write online is entirely correct.

Upon seeing this scene, Tazaki Toru suddenly stopped in his tracks, paused briefly, then turned around and walked over.

As Yotsuki Sakata entered the live house, the staff inside the transparent glass locked the door again.

Through the glass door, Yozuki Hōda turned around again.

She smiled and waved to them, then blew them kisses, revealing a shy smile. Only then did the otaku at the door cheer.

Once Ms. Sora was completely out of sight, the people at the door gathered again, seemingly anticipating the arrival of the next person I had pushed.

As Tazaki Toru approached, he looked at the notice board on the glass door, which listed tonight's performance time and the performing groups.

Tazaki Toru did not find the name of Sora Yozuki on it, so it is likely that the performance was under the name of some group or organization.

Tazaki Toru was not particularly surprised by this.

Since he was involved in the project, Toru Tazaki knew a little about the girls who were selected for it.

Some might think that since they've latched onto Bushido, why bother doing work outside of the planning phase?

Neither Yozuki Soda nor Mika Kohinata possessed the ability to turn down all other jobs simply by relying on their Bushido-style work.

Of all the female voice actresses that Tazaki Toru had contact with, almost all of them had other jobs; otherwise, it would be a pipe dream to survive in Tokyo on just this one job.

The only exception would be Tachibana Rin.

She doesn't lack money.

After reading the performance information above, Toru Tazaki became even more certain of his idea. He rushed to a nearby live house as soon as he finished his audition for Bushido.

I heard that the audition was decided on the spur of the moment in the last few days.

For performances at these types of live houses, it is necessary to report at least one week in advance.

The fact that she could squeeze in extra work during such a break suggests she's a diligent and hardworking girl.

As he was looking, he heard voices behind him saying "Please don't cut in line." To avoid being accidentally hurt, Tazaki Toru quickly moved away.

I had no intention of buying tickets.

Without a doubt, tickets for performances by underground idols with enthusiastic fans like these are definitely sold out on the day of the show.

The reason why these otaku lined up at the entrance was simply to get a good spot and, in a few seconds, say something like "You're so cute" or "I like you" when their idol arrived.

Since entering this line of work, Tazaki Toru has long been accustomed to such sights.

Tazaki Toru didn't think there was anything shameful about working as an underground idol; he had also seen many underground idols and bands in Shimokitazawa.

Among them might be extraordinary individuals, or even legendary figures who have committed offenses in the past and are explicitly forbidden from setting foot here by the shopkeeper of Yicun.

Band members and underground idols who engage in promiscuous relationships are already commonplace.

But ultimately, this is the path I chose, not something that my profession dictates.

Looking at the fans and spectators who had stopped at the entrance for their idol, Toru Tazaki silently turned around and disappeared from the spot.

……

……

Back at the station, Tazaki Toru checked the information on his phone, swiped his card to enter the station, and instead of taking the train to Tsukishima, headed towards Akihabara.

Tazaki Toru had never been to Akihabara before; to him, it was a mysterious place full of unknowns.

After exiting the station, following the navigation, Tazaki Toru walked along the street.

Young girls dressed as maids often hand out tissues with sweet smiles, carrying bamboo baskets in one hand.

Tazaki Toru initially thought these were all sales pitches from the maid café, but after being pestered into accepting a pack of tissues, he looked down and saw...

The pages were printed with the loan companies' contact information and incredibly low interest rates.

It was quite chilling to watch.

Along the way, many girls came up to chat with him, and in desperation, Tazaki Toru had to pull up his hood and put on a mask before things calmed down.

Although Toru Tazaki himself is not very familiar with anime culture, since joining the Bushido project, he has gradually been exposed to it due to his work and is now able to hum famous anime songs often.

At first, he would be ridiculed by Tachibana Rin. Whenever this happened, Aoki Hina would stand up for Tazaki Toru, saying that as a composer, she felt this should be a professional act.

In short, no matter what Toru Tazaki did, Miss Aoki's little brain always seemed to be able to come up with a way to cover it up for him.

As they drew closer to their destination, Tazaki Toru could already hear the familiar sound of a piano.