What a small world… truly, you never know who you'll run into.
Nohara Sato thought to himself with a slightly odd expression, then turned and spoke to Akiyama Mio and Kotobuki Tsumugi.
"Akiyama-san, Kotobuki-san, I just saw someone I know. I'll go say hi."
With that, he walked off.
Watching Sato's retreating figure, the two girls exchanged a glance and followed him with curious eyes.
On this bustling commercial street, the pedestrian walkway was lined with decorative trees, and benches had been built around them for people to rest.
Beneath one such tree sat a dejected-looking girl.
"Failed again..."
Aoyama Nanami let out a long sigh, her head bowed and hidden beneath her cascading hair.
Was it really impossible?
Uncertainty clouded her heart, lost in confusion and unsure of what lay ahead.
She had left home to chase her dreams, and only she knew the number of hardships she'd endured along the way.
She wasn't the type to give up easily, but after so many failures, even her once-steady resolve had begun to waver.
"Aoyama-san."
Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice reached her ears, and she saw a pair of feet stop in front of her.
When she looked up and saw his face, she froze momentarily, then murmured a greeting.
"N-Nohara-san..."
Sato stood before her, raising an eyebrow at her visibly downcast appearance.
"I thought maybe you'd caught a cold again, Aoyama-san."
Nanami blinked, then responded in a slightly indignant tone, "That's too much, Nohara-san!"
"Just kidding. But honestly, when I saw you like this from over there, I really thought the part-time warrior Aoyama-san had collapsed from exhaustion."
"What kind of nickname is 'part-time warrior'?!"
Nanami gave him an irritated glare, but her earlier gloom had already lifted and was forgotten.
Sato chuckled, then sat down next to her, leaving one seat between them. He glanced at the white printed paper she was holding.
"Feeling any better now? Want to talk about what happened?"
He had initially thought she was just tired and resting here, but after getting closer, he quickly discarded that idea.
First, her outfit was quite formal.
Second, that aura of disappointment around her was practically tangible, even from ten meters away.
"You noticed?" she asked quietly.
"Well... the air of defeat was pretty strong. I spotted it from over a hundred meters away."
"Huh?"
Nanami blinked, then widened her eyes, her cheeks flushing red as she shot Sato a sharp look. She wasn't sure if she was angry or just embarrassed.
Are you here to comfort me or tease me?
Her gaze held a mix of playful annoyance and mock scolding.
Sato laughed again. "Feeling a bit better now, aren't you?"
Nanami stared at him. Admittedly, she had forgotten all about her earlier sorrow, but now she had to deal with someone rubbing salt in her wounds.
After a moment to collect herself, she exhaled slowly, lowered her head, and softly said, "Thank you."
Sato's smile gradually faded into something more sincere. He waved his hand casually.
Then he pointed to the paper in her hand. "Mind if I take a look?"
Though it was rolled up, he'd already glimpsed a few intriguing words on the cover.
One in particular caught his eye: "Script."
A script?
Was it for a TV show? A play?
Nanami hesitated, then handed it to him.
Sato accepted it with interest. He was genuinely curious about what had made her so disheartened.
After running into Aoyama Nanami several times now, he couldn't help but feel there was some odd fate linking them.
In such a massive city, random encounters like this with the same person were rare. And yet here they were again.
What's more, almost every time he saw her, she was working. Was she on the way to work again today?
As he unrolled the script and read the title, his expression turned to surprise.
"My Youth Romantic Comedy with the Demon King from Another World" – Voice Acting Script
Wait... was this for an anime?
Now that was unexpected.
He glanced at the girl sitting quietly beside him. From her appearance and their past interactions, she always came across as diligent, self-reliant, and proper.
Who would've guessed she liked anime?
Unlike other countries, even though the ACGN (Anime, Comics, Games, Novels) industry was thriving in this island nation, social stigma and conservative views still lingered. Some people rejected or looked down on it.
That mindset didn't just apply to ACGN. Many unconventional or emerging industries faced the same bias.
Because of that, these fields often carried an undeserved reputation for being low status.
"Are you an anime fan, Aoyama-san?"
"Ah… not that much. I do watch occasionally, but I wouldn't say I love it or anything..." Nanami replied, troubled.
She paused, then added, "I just really love voice acting."
"Voice acting, huh? So your dream is to become a voice actress?" Sato asked, glancing down at the script.
Nanami hesitated, then nodded.
She wasn't entirely sure why she was opening up to Sato. Maybe it was because he'd helped her before, or maybe it was the repeated chance encounters that made her feel like he was trustworthy.
"When I was a kid, watching anime made me admire voice actors. Their voices brought characters to life, like they gave them souls. And later..."
Nanami spoke softly, gradually revealing her story.
Sato sat silently, listening.
After countless setbacks, it seemed this girl had finally found someone who would truly listen.