One More Agency Member

"Even though it's a character with only two lines, I found it very interesting."

"Since then, I've become very interested in my mother's work, and I've followed her in acting in quite a few roles. In the past year, I've even been specifically asked to play some important roles."

"And my dad's cartoons often get me to do voice acting too."

Shuya listened quietly.

Sonoo Hyakka's background was very similar to his.

My mother is a voice actress, and my father is a director.

Compared to other ordinary voice actors, they have more than a head start.

While others were still running, they had already taken a rocket to the finish line.

But everyone has their own troubles.

In short, no matter how hard Sonoo Hyakka tries, people will only say, "As expected of Yusho Sakura's daughter."

No matter how hard she tries, she will never gain recognition from others.

In the end, everyone could only see her mother.

She was very unwilling to accept it.

Just then, she noticed Inoue Shuya.

Although Shuya came from the same background as him, he was different from him.

When people call him, they don't say "Hanazawa Sakura's son," but simply Inoue Shuya.

He is who he is, not anyone's appendage.

Sonoo Hyakka was greatly shocked by this and had always wanted to see Shuya.

However, during those three years, Shuya barely spent any time in Japan, so she had no chance of seeing him.

Until recently, Sonoo Hyakka discovered that Shuya had taken on some voice acting roles, and thus knew that he had returned to Japan.

So she asked her mother to contact Hanazawa Sakura, hoping to visit Shuya at the agency.

Hanazawa Sakura misunderstood this and thought that she wanted to join the agency.

It's true that Sonoo Hyakka is interested in finding a talent agency to officially debut, but that's a different matter.

After listening to Sonoo Hyakka's troubles, Shuya said indifferently, "That's a really extravagant trouble for you."

"..."

Sonoo Hyakka forced a smile.

Shuya; since the other party had come specifically to discuss things with him, they must genuinely want his opinion.

He could certainly say something nice to get by, which would be a mature response and wouldn't offend anyone.

But this is clearly not in his character.

Shuya said directly, "Excuse my bluntness, Hyakka -chan, don't you think your idea is arrogant?"

"Arrogant?"

Sonoo Hyakka repeated.

Shuya said, "I've heard a little about your activities; you must have really put in the effort. But... doesn't Miss Sonou put in the effort too?"

"I... that's not what I meant..."

She whispered.

"I'm not too clear about Miss Sonou's situation, but I know about my mother's, so I imagine the two are in similar situations."

"They are genuinely busy. Your efforts are far less than your mother's, and in this situation, wanting to surpass your mother's reputation is nothing short of arrogance."

"But... does that mean my efforts should be ignored?"

Hyakka Jiang hardened her tone, her voice no longer weak.

As expected, those who start working at this age are not weak.

"It's not that we're ignoring you, it's that you haven't achieved anything. Everything you have now is thanks to your parents; how can you expect people to acknowledge you?"

Shuya pointed to himself. "You see, if it weren't for your mother's request, you wouldn't even have been able to see me, let alone get into the agency."

"Forget about voice acting, you might not even be able to debut yet, you're probably still in voice acting school."

His words were truly merciless and extremely biting.

The little girl clenched her fists, almost crying.

But Shuya didn't care at all. "Since you came to me for advice and called me 'senior,' I won't say anything nice."

"Since you've received the blessings of your parents, you must bear the corresponding burden. Unless you never relied on them in the first place. This is the necessary price to pay."

"You say I'm different from you in other people's eyes, right? Actually, that's not the case. I went to Great Hua to develop my career and achieved some small success. But initially, I had the same experience as you."

Shuya recalled, "At first, I was basically called Li Shuhong's disciple, the same way you call Yusho Sakura's daughter. But after three years, they gradually changed their minds, but a considerable number of people still call me that."

"Shu-chan- senpai is the same way?"

Hyakka Jiang couldn't help but ask.

"When people haven't met you, they'll label you based on what they've heard of you, forming a preliminary definition—this is a preconceived first impression. As for me, Li Shuhong is someone they're familiar with, so it's natural for them to associate that name with me."

"As long as you haven't actually met her, this impression won't go away. Your mother has connections throughout the entire industry; who hasn't she worked with? If you can't stand it now, you'll probably be driven crazy."

Shuya suggested, "Why don't you just quit the Japan voice acting industry? Otherwise, nobody will know you, but you'll have to start from scratch. If you don't want that, you'll have to bear the consequences."

Hyakka Jiang remained silent.

Shuya's words were too direct, and she felt uncomfortable.

After a long silence, she finally asked, "Doesn't Shu-chan- senpai feel sad, living under her mother's name?"

No.

Shuya said lazily, "I never care what other people think. What they think is none of my business. Do you think I'll die just because they want me to? Who do they think they are? Wake up, no matter how cute you are, you can't make everyone like you."

"To think that someone would actually have such an idea."

Sonoo Hyakka's worldview is starting to crumble.

In Japan, where the ideas of "not causing trouble for others" and "integrating into the group" are prevalent, this is quite unusual.

Section 186, 170: Agency Member +1

Shuya concluded, "If you don't want to live in your mother's shadow, then work twice as hard, even harder than your mother. You're far from good enough right now. But you're only nine years old, so don't think too much about anything else. Just focus on your schoolwork."

"Isn't Shu-chan- senpai only nine years old?"

Sonoo Hyakka was not convinced.

We are different.

Shuya gestured with his hands above the two people's heads to indicate their heights.

In Sonoo Hyakka's opinion, Xiu, who is nearly 1.5 meters Shuya, is as tall as the Tokyo Tower.

She was so small that she had to look up to see his face.

Hyakka took a breath and lowered her head, saying:

"I understand, thank you for answering my question Shu-chan- senpai."

"Hmm? You're not angry?"

Shuya was a little puzzled. He had spoken so bluntly, yet he was already prepared to be disliked.

Sonoo Hyakka smiled maturely and said, "Shu-chan- senpai, I can still tell which words are meant for me. And... although Shu-chan- senpai's words were sharp and sarcastic, revealing your nasty personality, I also felt cared for for the first time in a long time, and I'm a little happy about it."

Sharp-tongued and sarcastic...

A terrible personality...

Shuya smirked; this girl was no pushover either.

He shook his head and said, "That's settled then. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"One last question, do you have any advice for my future development, Shu-chan?"

Sonoo Hyakka sat up straight, rousing herself from her reverie.

"Oh, by the way. I heard you don't want to debut at your mom's agency?"

Shuya seemed to be deep in thought.

"Huh? It spread so quickly? I did visit a few agencies..."

Sonoo Hyakka was taken aback.

Shuya said, "Well, this industry isn't that big, but it's not small either. Any little thing that happens will spread far and wide, especially since you're Miss Sonou's daughter."

"Senior Shu-chan, can we not talk about that?"

The Sonoo Hyakka, and the atmosphere was truly authentic.

After she and Shuya had their heart-to-heart talk, she seemed much more relaxed.

"Okay, okay, she's just a little girl."

Shuya was helpless.

"After all, I'm only nine years old."

Sonoo Hyakka smiled victoriously.

Shuya got back to the main topic and suggested, "I think your idea of debuting with another agency is good; at least it's the first step in breaking free from your mother's influence. I think it's great that you have this courage."

"Thanks."

Perhaps Shuya had gone too far before, because now that he had praised her, Sonoo Hyakka smiled happily.

Shuya joked, "Let me tell you the truth. Those props on the table were actually bought by my mom to make you more popular, because she misunderstood that you wanted to join our agency."

He said, "But I didn't expect you to just come to have a life talk with me... Haha, her expression was really funny."

"So that's how it is, hahaha... um?"

Hyakka chuckled at first, but gradually, she noticed the key point.

"Got it!"

Sonoo Hyakka stood up excitedly.

"The child is not mine!"

Shuya was startled and blurted out.

He immediately shut up, thankfully the other person hadn't heard him.

Sonoo Hyakka exclaimed excitedly, "I've got a way! A way to prove my abilities and surpass my mother!"

"Tell me."

Shuya gestured with his hand.

Hyakka -chan spread her arms wide and said passionately, "Ms. Hanazawa's agency has always been at the bottom of the industry, and it wouldn't be surprising if it closed down at any time! But if I join in and turn this run-down and old agency into a super famous one, wouldn't that prove my abilities!"

Shuya: "..."

Your mouth and personality are truly... no less than mine.

He sensed his mother, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, being struck by several arrows; she clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground.

Shuya: "Ahem, Hyakka- chan, you really need to think this through. My mom's agency is indeed as dilapidated and old as you said, and the president has no business acumen and likes to squander money. Don't act impulsively and regret it later."

Hanazawa Sakura, who had just gotten up outside the door, collapsed back onto the ground, her eyes filled with despair.

Maeda Saori was suppressing a laugh.

But Hyakka Jiang seems to have really made up her mind.

She shook her head and said, "It's alright! After all, it's hard to find a firm like this in the industry, one that, although at the bottom, has great potential."

"Hyakka Jiang, you really know your stuff!"