Chapter 59: Her Slight Fever is a Coincidence

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Translator: Soafp

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The calm voice of Hizaki-san echoed inside the taxi.

I sat in the back seat, absentmindedly staring at the city outside the window. The warmth from the heater inside the car was comforting. Meanwhile, the winter night outside was unbearably cold, and the lights spilling from the windows of buildings looked strangely warm. Cars passed by on the street, their headlights flowing like light coursing through the veins of the city.

Hizaki-san, seated next to me, began to speak in her gentle voice.

“You might be surprised, but the anime director really liked your voices, Miyabi-san and Aoi-san. They even asked if you’d like to try acting as voice actors.”

For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.

Confused, I asked back.

“Eh… as voice actors?”

“Not for the lead roles, but for some parts. Your voices are great, and you have the buzz around you. It’s a good fit.”

Miyabi and Aoi as voice actors. It was something I had never imagined, but their voices really were nice. I remembered how our classmates used to praise their singing voices at karaoke, and it made sense.

“Also, coincidentally, Subaru Koda was there, and he strongly backed it up.”

Subaru Koda.

As soon as I heard his name, a faint sense of caution stirred inside me. He was a popular actor and was supposed to appear in the movie “Two and One.” However, during a previous press conference, Marin and Kagura mentioned that they had been pressured by Koda's agency. The fact that he was involved in this matter made me uneasy.

While I was lost in thought, the taxi arrived at its destination.

“Hajime-sensei, we're here.”

Hizaki-san said, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I got out of the car.

Before me stood a high-rise apartment building.

The building, silhouetted against the night sky, looked cold, with dark glass quietly reflecting the light. The entrance was lit, and I could see a modernly designed lobby. We passed through the automatic doors and walked toward the elevator.

Hizaki-san pressed the button for the tenth floor, and I slowly stepped inside. The doors closed, and with the quiet hum of machinery, the elevator began to ascend.

“The staff and Reiran-san are already at the site. They're just waiting for your arrival.”

I felt a slight tension. The reason I was here was for a collaboration broadcast with Reiran-san, the illustrator responsible for the key visuals of “Two and One.” I had initially planned to decline, but since Miyabi and Aoi were putting in so much effort, I decided to go along with it.

The elevator stopped quietly, and the doors opened. We walked down the hallway and stood in front of the rental room that Reiran-san had prepared.

“You don't need to worry about showing Reiran-san your face. There's a separate contract for that, so you're all set.”

She was about to head to the next room when I stopped and asked.

“Aren't you coming in with me?”

Hizaki-san sighed lightly and shrugged. “It's Reiran-san's request. They want you to wait in a separate room so as not to be distracted by the staff.”

I nodded in understanding and quietly exhaled.

I opened the door to the room, greeted with an “Excuse me!” as I entered.

From the back of the room, a bright voice called out, followed by the sound of footsteps, as if someone was rushing toward me.

“Ah, watch out!”

Came a panicked voice, as if someone almost stepped on the wires.

I wondered if everything was okay when, suddenly, the living room door swung open with a loud bang.

A girl wearing large round glasses rushed in at full speed.

“Whoa…!”

Before I could react, we collided, and I ended up falling on my backside.

She collapsed on top of me, and quickly scrambled to get up, her face turning bright red.

“I-I’m sorry! I've wanted to meet you for so long! I can't believe I'm actually meeting you…! Ah—what do I do?!”

The girl tried to catch her breath, but her words were interrupted by her excitement.

She looked at me with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe this was real. Her gaze was filled with strong emotion, and I could tell she was desperately searching for the right words.

I felt confused by how openly emotional she was, and for some reason, a strange feeling stirred in my chest.

Eventually, she shakily took off her glasses and, with a hoarse voice, muttered, “No way… Hajime-sensei, you're the one from that Hajime?”

I paused for a moment, trying to figure out how she knew who I was, before suddenly remembering.

The name and face of that girl I had met at the café came vividly back to me.

“Ranko-san…?”

As I called her name, surprised and confused, her eyes seemed to shimmer, and she looked at me with a slight tremor.

In the quiet of the room, I could hear the faint sound of the night wind rustling against the window. This unexpected reunion stirred something deep inside me.