Shibasaki Mayo

"Hello."

Uesugi usually works part-time and isn't shy, but he always has a perpetually expressionless face.

Hello, nice to meet you in the future.

The older sister nodded to him and smiled at Kyousuke as well.

Kyousuke greeted him with a smile.

Shuya took Uesugi and Kyousuke up directly.

During that time, I saw people engrossed in drawing, people doing post-production work on their computers, and people sleeping on their desks.

Uesugi said, "Are you this busy even on Sundays?"

That's just how the industry is; our company is considered good.

Shuya, with a lollipop in his mouth, said...

"Yes, I've looked at other companies' experiences, and they're really..."

Kyousuke was also holding a piece of candy.

"I see..."

Why are you all eating candy?

Uesugi watched this scene, bewildered, without asking any questions.

While Shuya was showing them around, he kept an eye out for his Little Senior Sister.

In the end, I didn't encounter any of them.

I've heard from the scholars that my Little Senior Sister's whereabouts have been rather elusive lately.

Section 362, 344 Shibasaki Kazuha

Shuya and Kyousuke showed Uesugi around the company, making him a familiar face to the company.

Seeing that Inoue Hikoo was also there, he took the opportunity to meet him.

"So you're the newbie Sakura-chan was talking about."

Although Inoue Hikoo was working, he still managed to find time to meet.

He knew that Hanazawa Sakura's agency basically didn't hire new talent, so he was quite curious.

"Come on, let's go to the recording studio, I want to hear your voice."

There is a difference between spoken words and recorded voices.

"Huh? Oh?"

Uesugi Futaro was stunned. He was a complete newbie who hadn't even started training yet, so how did he suddenly get pulled into an audition by an industry bigwig?

He's a serious person; once he decided to join the industry and the firm, he did a lot of research.

He knew the name Inoue Hikoo; in fact, he had heard of him before even looking up information. He was young when Hikari-chan's protest took place, but he still had some impression of it.

Shuya a little puzzled. Inoue Hikoo had never liked to get involved in these kinds of things, so why did he suddenly want to audition Uesugi?

... Could this be what they call the protagonist's halo?!

Shuya didn't show any surprise and said normally, "Then let's go. Uesugi, don't be nervous, just treat it as a game."

Kyousuke added, "Yeah, it's our own company anyway."

He has a strong sense of belonging and treats this place like his own home.

Anyway, it really makes no difference.

Inoue Hikoo did not refute Kyousuke's statement, which suggests that he tacitly agreed.

The four arrived at a small recording studio. Shuya and Kyousuke accompanied Uesugi Futaro inside to sit down, Inoue Hikoo stayed outside in the control room to operate the equipment.

Everything is ready soon, we can begin.

Inoue Hikoo told Uesugi Futaro to say whatever he wanted.

Uesugi was still a novice and couldn't say anything for a moment, Shuya just found some news online and had him read it.

He read it for a while.

Because Uesugi was aware that he was being recorded, his delivery was very stiff, sounding completely like an amateur.

He's untrained, which is normal, and nobody will say anything about it.

Inoue Hikoo simply wanted to hear his voice; he wasn't interested in acting skills.

He looked surprised after listening. "Wow, it's totally the protagonist's voice!"

"Thank you, thank you."

Uesugi was a little bewildered.

Shuya and the other two left the recording studio and went to the control room.

"Great, great, now we have more choices."

Inoue Hikoo patted Uesugi with satisfaction, then seemed to remember something.

He took out his wallet and casually placed a stack of 10,000 yen bills on the table.

He yawned. "Here, some pocket money. It's Sunday, isn't it? Take it and play."

"Huh?"

Uesugi was filled with suspicion and uncertainty; his first reaction was that something was amiss.

Yes, that's a very normal reaction.

But Kyousuke already had a fawning smile on his face, "Thank you, President!"

Shuya didn't say anything, since he wasn't short of money.

Inoue Hikoo waved and slipped away with his hands behind his back.

Shuya casually divided the money into three portions, Kyousuke picked them up with a grin, counting them. "Wow, 100,000 yen! Long live the president!"

You're so happy with this little bit of money.

Shuya was helpless.

"Sigh, you don't understand me. How much money can a newbie like me earn? I just live off the president's allowance!"

Uesugi asked doubtfully, "No, wait... this is too strange. Why would Inoue's father give us pocket money?"

Kyousuke gave a thumbs-up and laughed heartily, "You'll get used to it!"

"???"

Uesugi looked completely bewildered.

"Don't overthink it. He's just too lazy to talk, so he's just spending money to build connections."

Shuya said, "He doesn't usually act like this; it seems he's quite satisfied today."

"You don't need to feel guilty. If you feel embarrassed, just try harder next time."

"Okay, I understand."

Uesugi picked up the money. He wasn't one to be sentimental; his family was indeed in dire straits, and this money was a timely help.

Looks like I'll be able to buy some nice treats for my sister during this time.

He thought to himself with delight.

Kyousuke was unaware of his family background and did not appreciate his gratitude.

Kyousuke actually came from a very good background; his father held a high position, and his family was well-off.

However, his family's educational policy was not to give him much pocket money.

He had never worked before becoming a voice actor, so he was always broke. Now, as a newcomer, he doesn't earn much money either; after eating, drinking, and buying novels and magazines, it's all gone.

Kyousuke only thinks about how to play with his allowance, and at most, he thinks about sharing it with his childhood friend, which is completely different from Uesugi's thoughts.

Shuya saying anything was inappropriate, so he simply remained silent and picked up his 50,000 yen.

"Let's go eat."

Shuya took them out to eat, and then they parted ways.

"Hmm... it's about time."

Today, Hyakka -chan attended an event held at a venue called "Mynavi BLITZ Akasaka".

The stage at this venue is not large.

Although the auditorium has two tiers, there are only about 600 seats, while the standing room can accommodate around 1,400 to 1,500 people.

Today's event will include singing, but it will mainly consist of a discussion session, so seating will be provided only.

The fact that they rented a small venue speaks volumes about the animation's popularity.

Most of the customers are there because of the voice actors; I'd guess only about 30% are anime fans.

However, it's perfectly normal to use this kind of venue for a meet-and-greet.

Shuya leisurely made his way to the venue.

The afternoon session of the meet-and-greet had already begun, and most of the audience had already entered the venue.

Whether latecomers are allowed entry varies from event to event, but most events allow entry midway through the event.

A scholar-official was standing guard at the door when he saw Shuya slowly walking over.

The scholar-official was taken aback when he saw him. He didn't check if the man had a ticket, but smiled at him and opened the door to lead him to the seats for those with connections.

With Shuya's fame, he could have gotten in simply by showing his face.

Shuya bowed slightly to him and sat down.

No one in the dimly lit back row noticed him coming in; they were all mostly looking at the stage.

The seats for those in the industry included the performers' family and friends, fellow voice actors, and other industry professionals.

The people sitting around Shuya were just ordinary people; they glanced at Shuya with strange looks in their eyes.

The men's reactions were different from the women's; they were more composed, only nodding slightly excitedly at Shuya.

Shuya smiled at them and then focused on watching the activity.

The segment taking place on stage at this time involved voice actors selecting their favorite scenes and then sharing their thoughts.

The voice actors have entered "business mode".

With a lovely smile, Hyakka, who is usually arrogant, now showed 60% of her toxicity, leaving only 40% that made her seem cute, straightforward, and a little mischievous.

After watching for a while, Shuya's gaze fell on the person next to Hyakka -chan.

She's a very popular female voice actress recently.

Shibasaki Kazuha.

Shuya had never co-starred with her, but he had recently heard rumors that she had a cold and aloof personality. However, on stage, she put on a friendly face and smiled from time to time.

It must be said that she is indeed a beauty.

And that familiar feeling... it's undoubtedly the character of the frozen eel.

Section 363, page 345: I suspect you're messing with me, and I have evidence.

When Shuya took his gaze away from the pretty girl, he suddenly felt embarrassed to find that Hyakka's gaze was lingering on his face.

Upon closer inspection, her eyes held a deeper meaning.