Voice Acting Role (III)

Homura arrived at the activity room and explained the situation to all the girls in detail.

"So that's the deal..." Utaha nodded in understanding. "Do you need us to come up with some ideas?"

"Well, well, that sounds like a lot of fun!"

Elf grinned, clearly enjoying the prospect of something interesting. Then again, both she and Muramasa shared a passion for enjoyable experiences, whether in real life or in stories.

"Do we, artists, need to help too?" Izumi waved a pen in her hand.

"Yeah, when you're drawing, you probably have some impressions in mind, right?" Homura nodded.

Izumi nodded her head in agreement.

"Those impressions can serve as valuable reference points." Homura added.

"Then let's go check it out." Eriri stood up, stretched lazily, and suggested.

Everyone gathered in the living room, but there was a difference.

Eriri and her group, who had come from the activity room, took their places on the couch as judges, while the ones who had come from the temporary classroom were the candidates.

"First, let me share who I think is suitable."

Homura spoke to everyone, telling his opinion.

"Artoria Pendragon, Sonoda Umi."

"Tohsaka Rin, Aoyama Nanami."

"Fujimura Taiga, Yazawa Nico."

"Wait a second!" Nico raised her hand to interrupt. "When was I put on the list?"

"Well, it was decided earlier... I just didn't have a chance to tell you." Homura shrugged.

"Alright, I knew what is Taiga doing..." Nico sighed. "So, everyone going to see me as the comic relief now? Hmph, that's not how I see myself." 

'Aren't you already one?'

Everyone thought to themselves in unison.

Of course, no one dared to say it out loud, or Nico would have gotten furious.

"Alright, let's continue."

Homura proceeded.

"Mitsuzuri Ayako, Nishikino Maki."

Maki raised an eyebrow but didn't show any surprise.

"Medusa, Ayase Eli."

"Medea, Tojo Nozomi."

"What do you all think at this point?"

Homura turned to Utaha and the rest for their opinions.

Utaha and Nayuta exchanged a glance, opting to let Elf and Muramasa share their thoughts.

Muramasa glanced at the candidates Homura had listed before speaking up.

"Minamiya-kun, I'd like to see them in action."

"Alright, let's have a live demonstration." Homura agreed with a nod.

===

After the candidates had finished their respective performances, Utaha spoke first.

"They did pretty well. It feels a bit awkward, but with Homura-kun around, it shouldn't be a problem in a few days... Although Nozomi's Kansai accent is quite pronounced."

Although everyone noticed this issue, it was Utaha who dared to speak up, as she and Nozomi were both third-year students and found it easier to address such matters.

"I'm aware of the issue, but it's a habit, so sometimes I can't control it..." Nozomi nodded and agreed.

It was quite unusual for her to change her accent, but it was her speaking habit, and sometimes the Kansai accent slipped out, making her sound somewhat odd.

"Nozomi... I've always been a bit confused. You're not from Kansai, so why do you speak with a Kansai accent?" Eli asked, looking puzzled.

"Eh?! Nozomi-chan isn't from Kansai?" Honoka was astonished. "I always thought she was!"

"Well... when I was a kid, I switched schools a lot because of family reasons, and, of course, I once moved to Kansai. I don't really know why, but the Kansai accent just stuck with me till now..."

Nozomi didn't provide too many details, and she wasn't quite ready to reveal everything.

"It's alright. You'll get the hang of it with practice." Homura reassured. "Nanami had the same issue before, but now, you rarely hear her Kansai accent, right?"

With Nanami as an example, everyone wasn't too worried about Nozomi overcoming this issue.

"So, what's next?" Elf asked with enthusiasm. "Who's still up for debate?"

"First, there's Matou Sakura. I think Megumi, Hanayo, and Kotori would be suitable, but Megumi decided to withdraw." Homura explained.

"Why did Megumi-nee decide to withdraw?" Izumi asked curiously.

"Because of the emotional expression in my speech. It's lacking and I don't have much time to practice those, so I gave up." Megumi stated calmly.

"I see... that's a shame..." Izumi muttered.

"So, who do we think is the best fit? Let's decide based on practical experience." Eriri suggested.

"Alright, let's begin!" Homura nodded.

===

After Kotori and Hanayo each gave their performances, the rest discussed for a while.

However, this time, it was Eriri who spoke up.

"We think... it should be Kotori."

Eriri spoke calmly and glanced at the somewhat disheartened Hanayo before asking Homura.

"Homura, you mentioned that Kotori couldn't express Sakura's insecurity and inferiority complex... but why did we sense some of it? Did you make a mistake?"

Indeed.

Earlier, Homura had mentioned that Kotori's voice lacked the feeling of insecurity, but now it seemed more appropriate.

Rin, who was about to comfort Hanayo, couldn't help but glance over.

Had Homura really made a mistake?

"Nope, I didn't make a mistake..." Homura shook his head. "It's just that Kotori has grown."

After saying this, he quickly closed his eyes and began to remember something. After all, he had a feeling that Kotori's speech felt familiar.

A moment later, Homura opened his eyes and gazed at Kotori.

"Kotori, do you remember the day of your first performance at school with Umi and Honoka when you were voicing Sakura?"

"Homura-kun... how did you know?" Kotori looked surprised.

"Hmm, that day, after your secret job got exposed, didn't you mention it? You had nothing; you were just following Honoka and Umi." Homura looked up and reminisced. "Back then, you really had a strong sense of insecurity in your speech. You clearly felt inferior to them. I thought that after we all encouraged you, you'd forget that feeling, but I didn't expect you to still remember..."

With his explanation, the others might not have understood, but the members of Muse understood it very well since they had all been there at that time!

"Kotori-chan..." Honoka looked at her with concern.

Not only her, but everyone else was worried.

Such insecurity shouldn't exist in Kotori!

"Don't worry, everyone." Kotori shook her head gently. "I only remembered that feeling after hearing Homura-kun's words. When it comes to insecurity, that's the only part of my past that sticks with me."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.

Kotori had forced herself into the role using her own painful memories!

Hanayo's momentary disappointment from earlier instantly vanished. Even though Homura's remarks about their flaws were true, they were constructive criticism after all.

In light of this, the only one truly reflecting on and changing herself was Kotori, while she was still preoccupied with thoughts like 'Could I really do it?' or 'What if I make mistakes?'.

Kotori had earned everyone's recognition through her own efforts, so there was no reason for her to feel down.

"Kotori-chan..."

Hanayo looked at Kotori, who was also looking at her.

"Go for it! You can do it!"

Kotori was surprised for a moment and then nodded happily.

"Um! Thank you!"