Do I really have a thing for female voice actors?

Not long after, the two girls came downstairs one after the other.

Aoki Hina gently nudged Tachibana Rin's back, and Tachibana Rin had no choice but to slowly move to Tazaki Toru's side.

"Um... I'm sorry, Tazaki."

In addition to accidentally entering his bedroom, the apology also included the fact that he had locked the door.

Upon hearing this, Tazaki Toru merely chuckled softly and said, "Let's have breakfast first."

This meal was probably the quietest one Tazaki Toru had eaten since he moved in.

Even the eloquent Hina Aoki didn't know how to smooth things over, so the breakfast was particularly dull.

After breakfast.

Tazaki Toru was clearing the table when Aoki Hina offered to help.

"By the way, Ms. Hina, I might be back a little late today."

Tazaki Toru said this while rinsing the dishes.

Aoki Hina was taken aback by what she heard, but she tried her best to maintain a beautiful smile.

"Okay, I understand. I don't have any rehearsals for the stage play today. I'll have someone fix your bedroom door before you get back."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Ms. Hina."

Aoki Hina smiled sweetly, but her mood was far from optimistic.

Tazaki-kun, is he going out to look for a new house today?

With these worries in mind, Aoki Hina watched Tazaki Toru leave the house.

After Tazaki Toru left, Aoki Hina's smile disappeared, and she turned to look at Tachibana Rin, who was sitting silently on the sofa.

……

……

in the afternoon.

Tazaki Toru bought some gifts at a confectionery shop inside the station before heading to his appointment.

Arriving at the address, we found ourselves in a luxury residential area in Chiyoda, where the residents are all extremely wealthy and influential.

This was Tazaki Toru's first time in a place like this. Following the navigation, he arrived at a mansion with a private garden.

Even through the towering walls, the magnificent buildings inside were clearly visible.

The Kubo family home where Tazaki Toru lives is not bad either, but it pales in comparison to the mansion in front of them.

What's more, this is Chiyoda, where every inch of land is incredibly valuable.

The rustic wooden plaque at the entrance is engraved with the characters "Tasaki".

Clearly, this is the place Tazaki Toru is looking for.

When the doorbell was rang, a middle-aged woman's voice came from inside; it was not Yuriko Tazaki.

"Hello, I am Toru Tazaki."

Tazaki Toru gave his name, and a short while later, the outer gate opened automatically.

After passing through the garden, Tazaki Toru entered the house, where he was greeted by an older middle-aged woman, dressed simply and behaving respectfully, presumably a nanny or similar.

Yuriko Tazaki suffers from a leg ailment and needs someone to take care of her, so it is perfectly normal for her to hire someone to serve her.

Following the nanny into the spacious living room, she respectfully said, "Madam, the young master has arrived."

Clearly, Yuriko Tazaki had instructed Toru Tazaki to come.

To Tazaki Toru's surprise, besides Tazaki Yuriko, there was a man and a woman in the living room, both around forty years old, who did not appear to be family members but rather guests.

Upon seeing Tazaki Toru appear, Tazaki Yuriko, who was sitting in the main seat, beamed with joy: "Toru-kun, you're back."

Tazaki Toru nodded slightly, then looked at the guests in the living room and said softly, "I'm sorry, did I come at a bad time?"

"That's not true. There's no such thing as a good time or a bad time when you're going home."

Tazaki Toru nodded without replying.

Then, Yuriko Tazaki introduced the two people standing next to Toru Tazaki.

"These two are my friends, Mr. Kubo and his wife."

"Mr. Kubo, this is..."

Yuriko Tazaki hesitated for a moment, unsure how to introduce Toru Tazaki. She worried that Toru Tazaki might feel offended, as if she were exercising her maternal authority so soon after they had just met.

Just then, Toru Tazaki politely bowed to the two of them and said, "Nice to meet you. My name is Toru Tazaki."

Simply stating his surname is enough to reveal Tazaki Toru's identity.

This put Yuriko Tazaki at ease.

Tazaki Toru is not the kind of person who would embarrass her in front of others.

Judging from their attire, it's easy to tell they are business people, and they've probably come to discuss work matters with Yuriko Tazaki today.

Tazaki Toru realized that he might have been a bit of a nuisance.

Therefore, after saying hello, I left the living room temporarily, saying that I wanted to look around.

After Tazaki Toru left, Mr. Kubo asked, "Was that Mrs. Tazaki's child?"

Yuriko Tazaki nodded: "It is indeed my son."

“He is truly a handsome man,” Mr. Kubo echoed.

This statement may contain a hint of flattery.

From a purely corporate perspective, the Tazaki family's company is one of their partners, and Mrs. Tazaki is the highest-ranking person in charge within the company.

Mr. Kubo, at most, is one of the people in charge of his company, not the president.

This trip was also a special visit.

Mrs. Kubo, standing to the side, was lost in thought.

She felt like she'd seen that face somewhere before.

Logically speaking, if she had seen such a stunningly handsome young man in person, she would definitely remember him.

Where exactly have I seen this before?

470. *Ballade pour Adeline*

After leaving the living room, Tazaki Toru looked around the mansion.

His personality made him completely uninhibited, and he surveyed his surroundings with a scrutinizing gaze.

The outer garden was well-maintained, suggesting that it was regularly trimmed and tidied. There was also a pond with many fish of unknown species.

The mansion had three floors, and he did not enter any of the rooms with their doors closed.

Upon arriving on the second floor, Tazaki Toru's gaze was drawn to a spacious room.

The door was half-open, and you could see a number of guitars placed inside.

Drawn in, Tazaki Toru pushed open the door to find a dazzling array of guitars, totaling twenty-two.

Each guitar string has a piece of paper clipped to it, like a postcard.

It has the same date and the same name written on it.

The only difference is that the date on each one is February 14th of a different year.

This day is Toru Tazaki's birthday.

As a child, Toru Tazaki's favorite thing was the guitar.

Therefore, Toru Tazaki immediately understood the reason.

This is the birthday gift that Yuriko Tazaki prepares for Toru Tazaki every year after she becomes wealthy, and she even makes up for the ones she received when he was a child.

Tazaki Toru is 22 years old this year, exactly 22.

Tazaki Toru couldn't describe his feelings at that moment.

This behavior may just be her self-deception, a way to comfort her guilty conscience.

But to say that it has no impact whatsoever would be a lie.

The next moment, Tazaki Toru's gaze fell on the very center of the room.

It was a pure white grand piano, all white, with golden pedals that shimmered in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Tazaki Toru involuntarily lifted the key cover, revealing the spotless black and white piano keys.

The guitars, too, all bear the marks of meticulous care.

Sitting down at the piano, his fingers caressing the warm keys, Toru Tazaki looked around the large room and inexplicably recalled the image of Yuriko Tazaki sitting here in a daze for a long time.

A gentle melody flowed from her fingertips.

"Ballade pour Adeline" was one of my mother's favorite pieces in my previous life.

During his mother's serious illness, Toru Tazaki would play this piece every day.

He suddenly remembered the sunroom that had long been demolished.

Despite being in a completely different environment with a different mother, Tazaki Toru felt a sense of nostalgia within this house.

Every rise and fall of his fingers seemed to echo the incredibly arrogant boy he was in his childhood.

The mother who once led him onto the path of music and praised him as a genius will never hear him play this piece again.

But at this moment, Tazaki Toru still wanted to play this piece.

In the living room on the first floor, Yuriko Tazaki and the others who were talking stopped talking involuntarily after hearing the piano music.

They listened intently, trying to pinpoint the source of the music.

Tazaki Yuriko lowered her eyes, wanting to hear the music more clearly.

"This is……"