Gentle moonlight streamed through the open window, draping the girl like a veil of silk.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the tear stains at the corners of her eyes were clearly visible under the pale glow.
Outside the tightly shut bedroom door, her mother's sobs echoed faintly from the living room below, carrying a kind of painful rhythm.
Her father's weary sighs could also be heard in the distance.
It was already spring, yet the chill of the late night air made the girl pull her blanket tighter.
She had resolved long ago to live each remaining day as if it were her last, to keep going for as long as she could.
She didn't know when she might have to leave Kyousuke's side but as long as she could stay with him, even just one more day, it was enough.
But what about Kyousuke?
If everything went as planned, he wouldn't even find out about her condition until she was already hospitalized. How would he feel when he finally knew?
When she was gone, all the memories they shared would become a heavy burden, stretching endlessly into the future.
The one left behind would have to endure the sorrow, and work so hard just to patch up the hole left by her absence.
Just imagining Kyousuke grieving made Sakura feel like a fish out of water, gasping for breath under the blazing sun.
She'd already begun preparing for this, even before that night on the highway—when she first suspected that she might not have much time left.
From then on, Sakura had been thinking about how to help Kyousuke find happiness in a world without her.
At first, she thought of Shouko.
If someone as sweet as her stayed by his side, maybe her gentle presence could quietly wash away Kyousuke's pain like a flowing stream.
But no, it wouldn't work.
If Kyousuke ever truly broke down, Shouko would be helpless—she'd probably just end up crying with him in a heap.
The image alone made Yamauchi Sakura chuckle.
Her clear, cheerful laughter rippled through the moonlight like a pebble dropped into a clear spring, mingling with the muffled sobs outside.
Naoka? She was no good either.
Even though she always acted like she wanted to chase everyone away and want to have Kyousuke all to herself, her stubborn pride wouldn't let her accept a win by default.
"Geez," Sakura sighed playfully to herself, "I'm just too amazing. There's not a single person in the world worthy of taking my place beside Kyousuke. Guess I'll just have to stick around a few more years."
Letting out a soft giggle, Sakura sat up in bed.
"I should go comfort Mom and Dad," she muttered. "Crying like that isn't good for their eyes."
The door opened, then closed again.
Soon after, the girl's bright, energetic voice floated up from downstairs, followed by her mother's mock-scolding tone.
The crying, at last, came to an end.
———————————————————————
The next day, with their daughter's hospital admission settled, the Yamauchi family began preparing for her stay.
Mr. Yamauchi, who had been a mid-level manager three years ago, had since been promoted to upper management.
Thanks to his connections, Sakura's surgery was scheduled right away, bumped to the top of the list.
After three days of pre-op procedures, the operation would begin.
Because the illness was discovered early, and the affected area was small and relatively manageable, the hospital gave them a reassuring prognosis.
It was a huge relief to Mr. and Mrs. Yamauchi.
"Haha, now you can finally relax, right?" Sakura said with a grin, now dressed in a light green hospital gown.
"Dad, you should go handle work stuff—Mom can stay with me."
"How can I relax after all this..." Mr. Yamauchi sighed heavily from the window. Even if the surgery went perfectly and recovery was smooth...
Sakura followed his gaze.
Not great with geography, she wasn't sure if she was looking at Kyousuke's house, so she grabbed her phone from the bedside table and checked.
Lucky!
Her heart gave a little leap—her hospital window directly faced the Ruyi.
'What was Kyousuke doing right now?'
'Still asleep? No, wait—he mentioned yesterday he was going to help Shouko with her voice acting agency visit. I can't wait to hear Shouko's voice on TV!'
Just as Sakura imagined, Kyousuke had taken Shouko out early that morning.
Their destination was a talent agency called Our Voice—the name alone made it clear they specialized in voice acting.
When choosing an agency for Nishimiya Shouko, Kyousuke had sought plenty of advice.
He consulted the always-enthusiastic Ms. Kashiwagi Eriri, a hardcore otaku who could talk about any voice actor for hours.
Then there was Mr. Shimomura Tetsuya, a dependable editor despite not working directly in anime.
And finally, he asked a few industry insiders he'd met through BOX Animation Studio.
After weighing everything, Our Voice stood out.
From talent development and pay to company culture and reputation, they were consistently ranked among the top ten agencies.
But what sealed the deal for Kyousuke was the agency's president: Ms. Matsuda Kako.
Her attitude couldn't have been more different from the last animation exec they'd dealt with.
"It's okay. Hearing issues won't be a problem. Voice acting is all about expressing emotion through sound."
"As long as she puts her heart into it, her voice can move people," Matsuda said warmly.
"Nishimiya-san has a wonderful voice. She could debut even without formal training."
It sounded too good to be true.
Shouko, who had at least some idea of how the industry worked, clearly couldn't believe it.
She gave a small, apologetic smile and tugged on Kyousuke's sleeve. Once he leaned down, she whispered:
"Kyousuke-kun… is this really okay?"
That last "kind" voice actress hadn't said anything like this…
"Don't worry. Just sign your name and you'll officially be part of the agency. Then President Matsuda will arrange for you to attend their training program."
"If any suitable opportunities come up, they'll assign them to you."
Seeing how nervous she was, Kyousuke gave Shouko's small hand a reassuring squeeze.
Soft and warm—nothing like a hand made of just skin and bone, but plump and gentle like her round little face.
"You can also visit the agency anytime," Matsuda added with a smile. "Our other voice actors are very friendly. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them."
Shouko smiled at her again, then glanced at Kyousuke and took out her personal seal.
"All done! Now let me introduce you to everyone," Matsuda said cheerfully, standing up and gently taking Shouko by the hand.
Shouko wasn't used to such direct friendliness.
As she was led to the door, she kept looking back at Kyousuke with a worried expression.
"Go on," Kyousuke encouraged with a wave. "I'll be right here until the end of the day. I even asked President Matsuda to invite some of your seniors for a lunch gathering."
Reassured by his words, Shouko relaxed a little.
The anxiety of being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people eased—only to return in full force the moment she stepped out and was swarmed by a group of older girls.
The agency had already informed its voice actors that a "big-name" rookie would be joining today, and asked anyone free to come meet her over lunch—it could impact future opportunities, after all.
They'd expected some heiress from a wealthy family.
But instead, they were met with the sight of a sweet, timid girl.
Her shy little expression melted everyone on the spot.
And since their company culture was basically "lovable weirdos unite," they immediately started fighting over her like rival clubs recruiting a star member.
The Flat-Chest Voice Actress Alliance was pushed to the sidelines.
In contrast, the Busty Voice Actress Coalition, the Healing-Type Voice Actress Association, and the Wavy Hair Enthusiasts Club were all enthusiastically promoting their groups to Nishimiya Shouko.
Surrounded in the middle, Shouko's expression was barely holding together—her face clearly read, "Help. What do I do? I want to run away."
Her big eyes kept glancing toward the guest room, whose door was now firmly closed.
Peeking through the slats of the blinds, Kyousuke saw how quickly Shouko had been absorbed into the company culture.
He smiled with quiet satisfaction, then sat back down on the couch.
Of course, his decision to choose this agency wasn't a casual one.
Company culture had always been part of the evaluation:
Were the senior voice actors kind? Would the staff bully a newcomer? Was the resource allocation fair? He had carefully considered all of this.
Naturally, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
The reason President Matsuda had been so accommodating and gave Shouko such generous treatment was because of the groundwork Kyousuke had laid beforehand.
He had given her a verbal commitment—any future anime projects he was involved in would prioritize casting Our Voice talents.
Even if his non-anime works were adapted into films, he would still consider their actors for crossover opportunities.
Though none of it was on paper, President Matsuda was clearly no fool.
She understood that as long as she won over the girl that Kyousuke clearly cared deeply for, those verbal promises would inevitably turn into real ones.
In Japan, where Kyousuke's name was well known even beyond the anime world, his reputation wasn't something he'd toss away on empty flattery.
Given the number of public figures involved, privacy was a major concern for the welcome party.
The restaurant was hand-picked by President Matsuda—a high-end tempura spot just around the corner.
At the table, Kyousuke didn't pull Shouko to sit by his side like he usually would.
Instead, he let her be surrounded by the other voice actresses who were cheerfully chatting with her, while he sat casually with President Matsuda, making polite small talk.
Compared to that morning, Shouko already seemed to have grown comfortable.
As far as Kyousuke could observe, she remembered every name of those who spoke to her, responding with a bright, gentle smile.
"She's fitting in really well," said Matsuda Kazuko, raising her glass with a smile. Since it was a lunch event, everyone was drinking non-alcoholic beverages.
"She is. Thank you for taking care of her," Kyousuke replied, raising his own glass in return.
Since everyone had afternoon work, the gathering wrapped up in about an hour.
Instead of heading straight home, Shouko and Kyousuke strolled around the streets near Yoyogi.
Digesting after meals had become something of an unspoken rule in the Kyousuke household—one everyone stuck to without fail.
"How do you feel?"
The asphalt road was a mix of gray and blue tones. The buildings were gray, blocky. The people—wearing suits in black, gray, or brown—hurried by in silence.
In that entire drab landscape, Shouko, in her pink dress and long flowing chestnut hair, was the only splash of color.
"It feels... like I'm dreaming," she said, turning her head to the side. Her large brown eyes glistened in the midday light, shining like polished glass.
"The president was so approachable, the senpai were incredibly kind... and somehow I actually became a voice actress."
Her voice sounded as light as air—like someone who still hadn't quite woken up.
"Thank you, Kyousuke-kun~"
Shouko wasn't dumb, just adorably naive.
She knew the rules of the world didn't just bend themselves unless someone had purchased the "special treatment pass."
"'Thank you' doesn't belong between us," Kyousuke said with a smile, ruffling her hair gently.
"If only Sakura were here... she would've loved that party," Shouko added softly.
Even though Sakura didn't know the first thing about voice acting, Shouko was sure she would've mingled effortlessly with the senior members—probably even better than she did.
"Haha, you have your own passions, and Sakura has hers. Forcing that girl to practice enunciation every day would probably be worse than telling her not to talk at all."
Kyousuke spoke casually, but even in the short two days they had lived together, his life had been turned completely upside down.
His house was now full of things that had never existed before.
Fashion magazines lay scattered within arm's reach.
He couldn't keep everything perfectly in its place anymore—but weirdly, he didn't mind.
Whenever he needed help, all he had to do was call, and Shouko would come running to help him search. Then came Naoka.
As for Sakura... she was hopeless.
She'd start searching, get distracted by something she had been looking for for weeks—or some random fluffy white lint that had escaped from someone's sweater—and end up playing with it on the floor like a fascinated child.
When they got home, Naoka wasn't in the living room. Instead, they heard rhythmic tapping from under the stairs—that was Naoka's workshop.
Though she kept insisting Kyousuke should get more rest, she herself was always either working a side job or experimenting with her fashion designs.
Unlike Shouko and Sakura, who didn't care which high school they went to, Naoka had put real thought into it.
The Textile Club at Toyogasaki High was famous, it had even won awards at national fashion design contests.
Thanks to this, she was granted a merit-based scholarship, specifically for her talents in clothing design. And best of all—it didn't need to be repaid.
Kyousuke had a business idea just for her: cosplay outfits and plushies based on his stories.
Yes, commercial cosplay costumes do require official licensing.
Most cosplayers either make their own or hire tailors to avoid breaking copyright law.
But Kyousuke had taken the direct approach—he paid for partial licenses himself.
"Cosplay outfits?" Naoka asked in surprise, dragged out of her workshop.
"Exactly. We'll sell them through my personal site. We'll split the profits evenly," Kyousuke said confidently.
Having gained plenty of experience persuading people by now, he added with a smirk, "I mean, sure, official cosplays are expensive—but the fans understand. It's worth it."
"But I've never made anything like that before..." Naoka murmured.
Still, she was clearly tempted. The profits were attractive, and she'd be doing what she loved.
Even better—the characters wearing the clothes were ones she had helped design herself. It was... thrilling.
"That's amazing, Naoka! There's no one better suited for this than you!" Shouko beamed, holding Naoka's hands tightly.
She hadn't heard Kyousuke mention any of this before now.
"It's fine, we'll take it slow," Kyousuke said, his voice warm.
After all, they weren't just selling clothes.
They were selling passion too.