The manga "Neighbor Neighbor Neighbor" was a slice-of-life cody centered around a college girl—who seemingly never went to class.
And her daily antics with her elentary school-aged sister, the elentary school girl next door, and two more little girls from across the neighborhood.
Among them were two "cool older-sister" types, a spunky little girl who jumped in through the window every morning, a half-British girl who couldn't speak a word of English.
A precocious mini-adult like Yotsuba, and lastly—an irresistibly adorable, timid little girl who blushed easily.
By all logic, Shouko should have been a perfect fit for the last role—sweet, shy, soft-spoken.
But neither Hojou Kyousuke nor Kako Matsuda thought that was the best choice for her.
"In fact, I already discussed this with Kitani-san," President Matsuda said. "Not just about the casting this ti, but about your long-term career path as well."
"Kitani-sensei…?" Shouko blinked.
In Our Voice, the only person worthy of being called Kitani-san by the president was the legendary "Witch of a Hundred Voices" herself.
Career planning? But hadn't Shouko already decided on that from the beginning?
Train hard, beco a proper and skilled voice actress, and then join Kyousuke's company to voice every one of his characters.
That was the dream!
Looking confused, she glanced at President Matsuda, who took a sip of water and continued:
"With your looks and personality, Shouko, you could take the idol route with ease. All it takes is one moderately popular role. The agency could back you with a couple of songs, so promo work, and then—"
"I don't want to be an idol!"
Shouko cut in before she could finish.
That was never her goal.
She didn't want to be an idol or chase fa—what she wanted was to work beside Kyousuke-kun.
An idol's schedule would only get in the way!
That sort of thing was better left to soone like gumi.
At least it would boost her presence—no one could ignore soone under a spotlight, right?
If they still did, it would practically be a supernatural phenonon.
"Haha~" Matsuda smiled.
"Don't worry, I know. You want to be a pure voice actress."
Of course, Matsuda wasn't saying idol voice actors weren't pure.
The truth was, being popular ant getting more roles and more inco. It was a win-win in many cases.
But from the mont she t Hojou Kyousuke, she knew Nishimiya Shouko wouldn't follow that path.
She might beco the most acclaid voice actress in the industry, she might earn countless nicknas from devoted fans, but her most iconic title would always be:
"Hojou Kyousuke's Exclusive Voice Actress."
Whether to envy the genius's whims or the bond between them, even Matsuda herself wasn't sure.
But as a savvy agency president, she knew a gem when she saw one—Shouko's presence could elevate the entire agency.
"So what we discussed," she continued, "was whether to train you into a versatile voice actress like Kitani-san, who can handle a wide range of voices—or to further refine your current strengths: gentle, calm, shy, delicate…"
"..."
Shouko's eyes widened.
She had no idea what half those terms even ant, watching them pour out of Matsuda's mouth like a foreign language.
The president paid no mind to Shouko's dazed expression and continued on, quoting reports from other instructors before suddenly veering into what sounded like a completely unrelated topic:
"You probably didn't know this, but before we signed you, Hojou-san had already spoken to five tis.
First, he brought the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shounen High.
Second, he ca with Kaneda, the director from the animation studio BOX.
Third ti, he showed up with four lawyers.
Fourth ti, with five very intimidating-looking assistants.
And finally, on the fifth visit, he ca alone."
Matsuda counted on her fingers as she listed them, her face full of wry amusent.
Honestly, if Hojou hadn't been clear about his intentions from the start, she would've thought he was a hostile takeover threat.
In this industry filled with shady characters and snakes in suits, a move like that wasn't out of place.
He was… either absurdly cautious, or overwhelmingly devoted to Shouko. Maybe both.
"Kyousuke-kun…" Shouko softly murmured his na.
It felt like every breath she took was saturated with his concern.
Warmth filled her from head to toe.
"He never told any of that…" she said gently, her left hand quietly slipping into her pocket to clutch the key to the Ruyi Dormitory.
"n tend to show love through silent actions," Matsuda remarked knowingly. "Even geniuses like Hojou-san are no exception."
Shouko blinked.
A "silent hero"?
Was that what he was?
"You've no idea how terrifying those days were," Matsuda went on. "The first two etings were fine—we knew so of the sa people, so the conversation flowed.
But the third ti, I had two lawyers circling with our agency's standard contract like they were hunting for so kind of felony."
She shuddered, half-dramatic, half-serious.
"And the fourth ti… oh, I'll never forget that scene.
Hojou-san was sitting calmly on the sofa, dressed in a deep navy suit—very high-end fabric, might've even been infused with precious tals.
Behind him stood five n in black suits who called themselves his assistants.
They didn't even sit. Just stood in a line like they were ready to pull out guns at any second."
Shouko couldn't help it—she let out a small laugh, quickly raising her hand to cover her mouth.
There was no doubt in her mind—Kisaki Tetta must've been one of those "assistants."
That guy always loved making a scene, like he was desperate to prove Kyousuke-kun was soone special.
"Anyway, back to the point."
Matsuda cleared her throat.
"Over this ti, everyone in the agency has gotten to know you, Shouko. We've built a complete profile.
If we assign you a soft, adorable, lovable character like Mari, we know you'd pull it off.
I believe it, and so does Kitani-san."
"But…"
She leaned forward slightly, looking Shouko straight in the eyes.
"Is that really what you want?
Do you want to beco the kind of voice actress where, the mont people see a cute and quiet character, they imdiately start wondering— 'Wait, is that Nishimiya Shouko's voice?'"
Matsuda Kako stared intently at the girl beside her, locking eyes with her deep brown gaze.
"Of course not!"
Shouko answered without a shred of hesitation.
After all, her dream was to be the voice actress for every character in Kyousuke-kun's works!
Even if that future still felt far off, Mikasa definitely wasn't the type of role that suited her—she wasn't a "cute" character at all.
"I thought so too. And Hojou-san thinks the sa," Matsuda Kako said.
"Kyousuke-kun?" Shouko tilted her head, puzzled.
Her ponytail, now long enough to fall past her shoulders, slipped forward onto her chest.
"Shouko is like glass. Clear and transparent—so much so that anyone who looks can see their reflection.
Shouko is my family. She's kind and gentle to a fault, always accepting everything without resistance, just like glass.
I was born in Otaru, so I understand just how pure—and how fragile—glass can be. When you look at her, you see yourself.
I love her kindness and warmth, but I also worry... that she reflects too many of the world's cruelties.
I apologize if I'm being overly cautious, but I believe we need to co to an agreent.
Whatever future Shouko chooses… it should be hers to decide."
Matsuda Kako spoke these words in a rhythmic, poetic tone—as though reciting an ancient epic.
But the voice wasn't her usual contralto. It was a man's voice.
She didn't need to explain. Shouko already knew—those were Kyousuke-kun's words.
Only he could understand her so deeply. Only he stayed by her side and let her grow freely.
But he called her soone who unconditionally accepted everything like glass… wasn't he the sa? Wasn't Kyousuke-kun the one who supported her unconditionally all along?
Whether it was the elentary school choir competition, the decision to go to voice acting school, high school, the agency, even the garden back at ho…
Her mother tried to make her strong in her own way. Kyousuke-kun encouraged her to beco strong.
Shouko said nothing, afraid that if she opened her mouth, the tears would spill.
Her left hand gripped the house key in her pocket, while her right clutched the pendant around her neck—Hojou Kyousuke's button.
"Good thing I haven't lost my old voice acting skills. If I'd forgotten sothing this touching, that really would've been a sha," Matsuda Kako said after taking a sip of water.
There was one line she didn't say out loud—that heartfelt ssage had been spoken the day after Hojou Kyousuke visited with an entourage of n.
Even though they no longer wore those ominous black suits that made it seem like they could pull a gun at any mont, the mory lingered.
To this day, Matsuda Kako could still recall exactly how he looked when he said those words.
He sat on the sofa, relaxed, leaning back with both elbows resting on the armrests.
His fingers were steepled together, and the sunlight streaming through the office window split his handso face into light and shadow.
He didn't look at her—his eyes were fixed on his fingertips.
His voice, so clear and calm, was gentle enough to be a lover's whisper. And his expression matched that sincerity.
Yet his eyes—those pitch-black irises that seed to devour light—sent a chill down her spine. They radiated the presence of death.
They had already been through four rounds of so-called "friendly" talks, but Kako had the feeling that if she gave even the slightest wrong answer, that man would kill her with just a look.
This was way more terrifying than being threatened with a pencil or sothing.
The idea of soone killing with a stare? She'd only seen that in sci-fi manga—and even then, the characters had to strike a pose and add sound effects!
"Not interfering with your choices, Shouko—that's the agreent I reached with Hojou-san."
Five rounds of negotiation: showcasing connections, wealth, power, influence in the underworld… a mix of force and finesse, proving strength on all fronts.
No one could refuse a man like that.
They had to co to an agreent.
Because the more deeply Hojou Kyousuke cared for Nishimiya Shouko, the more ruthless he would be toward those who opposed her.
Kako had no illusions about that anymore.
"So, you asked which role suits you best. Shouko, maybe the one that suits you most… is being soone like 'Shouko'—like glass, who accepts everything."
"Soone like Shouko?" she softly repeated.
"You an, like Kitani-sensei?"
Male or female, young or old, tsundere or airhead—she could play them all.
"You could say that."
Matsuda Kako nodded.
Of course, if she could reach that level, it would be ideal.
But even if she couldn't, this would still be a good way to test which kinds of roles Shouko was best suited for.
After all, this was about letting Shouko choose her own future.
Ordinary voice actors never get that many chances to try and fail. But she wasn't ordinary.
She was Nishimiya Shouko—Hojou Kyousuke's Shouko.
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