After a short break of idle chatter, Kuroba Akira decided it was time to get back to refining the first volume of his novel.
After that, he still needed to add in the outline for the following volumes, write a few notes for the editor, then do some layout adjustments to make sure the reading experience was smooth.
If he got all that done today, he could submit it tomorrow.
When Akira sat back down, he noticed Shiginomiya still hadn't gotten up to continue her voice-acting practice, so he asked,
"I remember you said this morning you were going to work on improving Kogane's voice today. Did you already finish?"
In the past week, Shiginomiya had already managed to mimic both Akane and Aoi, hitting a similarity rate of 90%. For Aoi, her imitation was so good that even Akira couldn't tell the difference anymore.
Yesterday, while he was writing, he'd heard Aoi's voice in the magical-girl anime turn into a weird stereo echo—he thought he was hallucinating, looked up, and found Shiginomiya shadowing the lines in perfect sync. That had honestly startled him.
He knew that skilled voice actors could freely switch up their voice, and that acting itself wouldn't be a problem for Shiginomiya, but to make it that identical was ridiculous.
Most unbelievable of all… it had been less than a week—barely five days, counting fully.
"Not yet… but I want to rest a little longer…"
Mainly because her shorts still weren't dry, and that damp feeling was very obvious…
Still, Shiginomiya thought it was a bit too shameless to slack off for that reason. Since Akira-kun was still working hard, she couldn't be too lazy herself.
"I can practice here too, but I was worried I might disturb you."
"I don't mind. The critical part's done, and the rest doesn't need the same deep focus. If you practice next to me, it won't bother me. I can even listen in for you."
"Mm… then I'll trouble you for that. Please point out where I fall short."
"I'm strict, you know… Oh right, let's check your progress while we're at it. Come on, hands."
"Okay."
Shiginomiya obediently held out both hands to him, palms up, like a student nervously awaiting a teacher's ruler-smack on the knuckles.
By now, she was completely used to Akira's daily "hand check." He told her he could see her improvement through her hands.
She didn't know what the principle was, but she believed he really had that ability. After all, the very first time they met, he'd looked at her hands before choosing her.
At the same time she held them out, Shiginomiya was sneaking glances at his expression.
When he'd checked her palms on Wednesday, she'd clearly seen him looking pleased—then he'd praised her acting progress.
But the next two days, his face hadn't changed much—so she figured her improvement had been small. That was why she'd worked twice as hard these past two days.
She wanted to see him smile… only then would her effort feel rewarded.
That was the main reason she felt nervous as she held her hands out.
And today—her effort had solidly turned into results carved onto her left hand.
[Voice Acting LV1]
Got it!
A proficiency in voice acting!
That meant, on the path of becoming a seiyuu, Shiginomiya Shion had finally shed the "outsider" title—she was now a proper beginner!
Akira's face lit with excitement. He snapped his fingers and pointed at her.
"Very good! I can say for sure now—you're no longer an amateur! You're qualified to enter a voice-acting agency right now!"
"Eh…? R-really?! You mean, I can already become a seiyuu?!"
She caught his mood like fire catching dry grass—joy bursting out like a flood breaking a dam, so intense that even her medium-sized chest began to rise and fall.
"Yeah, Shion—you've got what it takes to debut as a rookie seiyuu. But, like I said before, my plan is for you to debut at the peak."
"Mm, I remember… you called it… um… the Ten-Li-Slope Seiyuu Training Plan, right?"
Even though it was a mouthful, Shiginomiya had remembered this name—it was, after all, tied to her career.
"That's right. So I'm not letting you join an agency yet. You'll keep following the goals I set for you. When the time is right, I'll help pick the right agency. So don't rush it."
He worried she'd get overconfident and go sign with some agency on her own, so he reminded her to keep her head steady.
But that worry was unnecessary—Shiginomiya trusted his words unconditionally.
"Mm. I'm not in a rush. I'll keep working hard!"
Yoshi yoshi yoshi… good! Smooth sailing!
Not only was his light novel progressing well, but Shiginomiya's skills were steadily climbing.
If they kept this up, by the time they entered their second year of high school, they could earn their first pot of gold and escape their current broke-as-hell status.
The days of living off a beautiful girl's support… were getting clearer and clearer.
Akira was delighted. After Shiginomiya voiced her determination, she hesitated slightly, fiddling with her fingers before asking,
"Um, Akira-kun… if I make progress, can I… ask you for some extra rewards?"
"You know I'm as broke as you, right?"
"I don't mean money… ah, and I don't mean a foot massage either… I mean… if you could… pat my head. When I was little, if I behaved well, my mom would pat my head as a reward…"
Her words just made Akira feel sorry for her.
So her mother hadn't even been willing to pat her child's head more often?
It seemed Shiginomiya had been a child starved of affection from the start. No wonder she craved attention so much. Even those little antics she did to catch his eye made more sense now.
And maybe, in her subconscious, she believed that only by behaving would she receive rewards and kindness. That was why she was so obedient.
While that did make it easier for Akira to "handle" her, using a "childhood wound" like that came with risks.
If even such a small reward couldn't satisfy her, she might turn dark because of it.
"A head-pat, huh…"
He'd patted Class Rep's head before, and at the time he'd wondered what Shiginomiya's black hair would feel like. He hadn't expected to get a comparison this soon.
"Alright. If it makes you happy."
Akira placed his hand on her head and gently stroked her silky hair, from the crown down toward her back.
"Mmm…"
Shiginomiya closed her eyes, savoring the reward she had earned through her own effort.
She focused all her attention on the hand touching her hair, letting her body remember the wonderful feeling it brought.
Unlike the thrilling sensation of having her legs and feet rubbed, a head-pat… made her feel safe.
I wish this could last forever…
But a head-pat was like the captivating opening of a novel—Shiginomiya couldn't help but look forward to the next development.
If he hugged her, that would be even better…
Or if she could hug him…
Rest her head on his shoulder…
Rub her cheek against his chest…
Press her body close…
Wanting even more intimate contact…
Once such thoughts took root, they could no longer be suppressed. Even if she tried, they would bubble up again and again, impossible to shake.
I want to… I want to hug him…!
I want to… ki—…!
Ugh…!
She felt ashamed of these impulsive thoughts, but she could no longer lie to herself.
She knew what this was.
She knew she shouldn't… but she couldn't stop.
What do I do…
Since meeting Akira-kun… I think I've gotten greedier and greedier…
A young girl's desires swelled wildly.
The age-appropriate pink fantasies kept floating up from the depths of her mind like bubbles, bursting one after another, painting her thoughts entirely pink.
She knew what this was.
Having grown up watching her mother fall in love again and again, she knew exactly the true face of this impulse.
It was what she used to hate most, never understood—what she treated as a negative example in life, something she wanted to avoid at all costs.
But… she could no longer control it. She understood it completely now.
The box where she'd sealed away her girlish heart had no lock left at all.
And the one who had broken that lock wasn't Kuroba Akira—it was herself.
She knew what this was.
Eyes that could no longer hold anyone else but him… a distortion of perception, born of love.
To receive his gaze was to receive the whole world… an eruption of feeling, called love.
Mom… looks like we really are mother and daughter after all.
So I'm a love-brain too.
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