Ch 55. Night Walk and Voice Acting

Hoshimi typically wouldn't do anything unless he was confident. So why did he think of using practice to get back at her this time?

This was real-life practice, not a dream. Without the ability to cheat, how could Hoshimi be a match for her?

Did Hoshimi have some other trick up his sleeve? What could it be?

No matter how Yukinoshita thought about it, she couldn't figure it out.

"Forget it, I'll see tomorrow."

Putting her thoughts aside, Yukinoshita got up and went to the kitchen to prepare her dinner for an energy boost.

...

"Haa~~~"

After an unknown period, Hoshimi finally woke up.

Yawning, he sat up, "Nanami, what time is it?"

"10 o'clock..." Nanami Aoyama replied with her head lowered.

"Hmm?" Hearing Nanami Aoyama's muffled voice, Hoshimi sensed something was wrong.

He observed the downcast Nanami Aoyama and asked, "Nanami, what's wrong? You don't seem to be in a good mood."

"...Nothing, I'm just a bit tired..." Nanami Aoyama shook her head.

"Is that so?" Hoshimi frowned slightly.

What happened? How did Nanami's mood suddenly drop after he took a nap?

Was it because of the massage earlier?

No, that wasn't the reason. Nanami had no reason to feel down about that.

Even if Nanami felt emotional about the massage, it should be anger or embarrassment, not depression.

Was it something else?

Hoshimi carefully looked at the downcast Nanami Aoyama and began to guess the reason.

With a sigh, he said, "Nanami, it's getting late. Do you want to stay over?"

"...No." Nanami Aoyama's hands subconsciously tightened on her knees.

She wanted to smile and respond to Hoshimi-kun, but she couldn't bring herself to look up and meet his eyes... let alone smile.

"Really? How about I walk you home then?" Hoshimi asked patiently.

"No, I'll take the train back."

"Then I'll walk you to the train station."

"No need, I..."

"Don't refuse. It's not safe for a girl to walk alone at night. As a friend, it's normal for me to walk you."

Hoshimi smiled and continued, "Besides, you're still here so late because of me. If I don't walk you, how can I ask you to help with ear cleaning and massages next time?"

"..." After a moment of silence, Nanami Aoyama nodded slightly, "Alright, let's do as you say."

"Okay, wait a moment. I'll go change."

Hoshimi got up, went to his bedroom on the second floor, and changed into clothes for going out before returning to the living room.

"Nanami, let's go."

"Mm..."

Nanami Aoyama stood up and followed Hoshimi to the entrance.

…

A while later, Hoshimi and Nanami Aoyama were walking side by side on the dimly lit street.

"Boss, one order of takoyaki, please."

Passing a street stall, the hungry Hoshimi bought some takoyaki.

"Here's your takoyaki."

After waiting at the stall for a bit, the owner handed a small bag to Hoshimi.

Hoshimi took it, and they continued walking.

"Come again."

Behind them, the owner's cheerful voice echoed.

"Here, have one." Hoshimi opened the bag and handed a skewer of takoyaki to Nanami Aoyama, who was walking a step behind him.

"...Thank you..." After hesitating for a moment, Nanami Aoyama took it and thanked him.

Hoshimi smiled, "Saying thank you too often makes it lose its meaning. The same goes for apologies."

"Uh... sor... mm~" Nanami Aoyama, about to apologize instinctively, quickly stopped herself.

She glanced at Hoshimi's back, not quite understanding his point.

"Which way next?" Hoshimi didn't intend to explain. He looked at the fork in the road ahead and asked casually.

"Right..."

They turned right, entering a residential area street that was quieter and more deserted than the bustling food street earlier.

As they walked, only their footsteps could be heard.

Following behind Hoshimi, Nanami Aoyama found herself getting lost in thought.

Hoshimi-kun... is so quiet today...

If it were before, Hoshimi-kun would have kept the conversation going, making sure the atmosphere was never silent...

So, was her low mood affecting Hoshimi-kun?

Cheer up a bit... don't let Hoshimi-kun worry anymore...

Nanami Aoyama thought for a moment and decided to start a conversation with Hoshimi-kun.

"Hoshimi-kun..."

"Nanami..."

They both spoke at the same time and paused, then laughed together.

With a small smile, Nanami Aoyama said first, "Hoshimi-kun, you go ahead."

"Alright." Hoshimi took a step back, walking beside Nanami Aoyama.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and asked with a smile, "Nanami, is working as a voice actor tiring?"

"Huh? Hoshimi-kun, I haven't started working yet..."

"Really?" Hoshimi asked suspiciously, "I thought with your skills, you would have started working already."

"Mm..." Nanami's face turned red, and she turned her head away, "I'm still studying. It's still a long way to go before I officially start voice acting..."

In truth, she had already done some voice acting work...

But those were all for genuine erotic anime, which she couldn't possibly tell anyone about.

Voice acting in erotic anime was almost a rite of passage for newcomers in the industry. Even some famous seniors had done it before they became well-known, though most used pseudonyms to avoid affecting their future careers.

She did the same.

But compared to others who could play leading roles in erotic anime, she only voiced minor characters with very short screen time...

In an entire episode, she might only have one or two lines, far less than the leading roles who had lengthy moaning scenes...

It was miserable, but also somewhat comforting, at least she didn't have to endure the embarrassment of making those sounds.

She would try harder next time, aiming to get a supporting role in a serious anime, so she wouldn't have to lie to Hoshimi-kun anymore...

"Still studying, huh? By the way, where do you study voice acting? At school or somewhere else?"

"It's a training course offered by a voice acting agency."

That's why she ended up voicing minor characters in erotic anime.

Sometimes, the instructor would send students to try out those roles.

By the way, the pay was very low, almost negligible compared to part-time jobs.

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