348 This Can’t Be My Fault, Right?

On the way to the restaurant, Shouko turned back every few steps—three steps, five steps… even after sitting down in the private room, she still looked dazed, her face full of confusion and disbelief.

Sure, she had imagined what it might be like to voice an "older sister" character—maybe she'd get to hear the seniors sweetly calling her Onee-chan, giving her an experience she'd never had before.

But what she definitely hadn't imagined… was that a nearly 70-year-old senior would call her that.

When the door opened and the elderly Ayano Kitani, with her fluffy silver hair like a cotton ball, walked in and chirped, "Onee-chan~!" in a crisp, childlike voice—Shouko's brain just flatlined.

"Hahaha, well, it's a rare chance!

Once I heard about the opportunity, of course I had to push everyone I could into the ring," said Matsuda Kako, explaining how, in just two short hours.

Our Voice had managed to snag two lead roles in the anime "Neighbor, Neighbor, Neighbor."

Yes—besides Shouko landing the older sister role, the comedic character Miu was now going to be played by none other than… the 60-something Ayano Kitani.

Imagine it: a woman that age, standing in the classroom doorway, using the cutest voice imaginable to call someone Onee-chan.

Even in the wild world of voice acting, that's the kind of thing that breaks brains.

When the anime eventually ends and they hold something like a fifth-anniversary special, people will see this little old lady delivering Miu's iconic lines and feel like time itself has gotten scrambled.

And it didn't stop there.

The role of Chika, the younger sister of Shouko's character and the most mature girl in the manga, had gone to another senior—Saki Kihara, the elegant queen of cool, usually cast in domineering onee-san roles. In her own way, she was a perfect fit.

"Onee-chan, the food's getting cold. Hurry up and eat," someone said sweetly.

"Ah, r-right!" Shouko replied, still in a daze as she picked up the dish in front of her.

It was a chilled burdock root salad.

Thin strands, about a millimeter wide, arranged neatly in the center of the plate.

Soaked in water to remove their bitterness while keeping their signature crunch.

A drizzle of creamy white salad dressing waved across the greenish pile like spring sunshine.

A refreshing appetizer, beautiful in presentation and perfect for pairing with a first glass of sake.

Obediently, Shouko took a bite.

'…Not as good as Kyousuke-kun's,' she thought absentmindedly.

"Mhm~ of course it's not as good as Hojou-nii's cooking," came a voice beside her.

'Wait, what!?'

Shouko turned with wide eyes. Crap—had she said that out loud?

"Y-You can't call him that!" she said, hurriedly swallowing her food.

"Hehe~ but isn't he your boyfriend, Onee-chan?" Ena Chimoto teased with a playful grin.

"T-That's not the point!"

"Ohhh~ Shouko's getting jealous!"

"Jealous! She's jealous~!"

"Ena, careful! Onee-chan might confiscate your allowance~"

"A tragedy in the making—big sis gets a boyfriend and ditches her little sister!"

"..."

Suddenly, the private room was filled with a chorus of Onee-chan~!s, like a festival of chaos.

Even though only two people had actually been cast as younger sisters, nearly everyone joined the fun.

That was just how these over-the-top voice actresses were.

Shouko couldn't help but feel like her dream of being a big sister was getting hijacked.

It wasn't her wish being fulfilled—it was theirs. She was just the vessel!

Was it really her fault? No way. The blame had to lie with these boundary-less seniors.

If they ever visited someone's house, even Momotarou would kick them out.

With puffed cheeks, Shouko shoved the rest of the burdock salad into her mouth.

But still…

'Hehehe… they're all calling me Onee-chan~'

She lowered her head, letting her eyes sneak a glance up the table toward Ayano Kitani.

'Even Kitani-senpai calls me that~'

Despite the company's playful, almost anarchic culture, certain social customs still held.

People grouped together by preference—drinkers in one corner, quieter folks in another, and chatterboxes in a third.

As for Shouko? She had no assigned seat.

Where she sat depended entirely on who won the daily battle for her company.

The cuter you were, the more competition surrounded you—and Shouko was the epicenter of it all.

At any gathering, she became the prize. Tonight was no exception.

The older women, who had just finished a long day of goofing off, poured drinks under the pretense of "fighting over Shouko."

And soon enough, the "younger sisters" started venting about their everyday woes.

Meanwhile, Shouko found herself sitting beside President Matsuda and Kitani-sensei.

"...Once I knew those roles were still open, I didn't hesitate. That kind of intel is gold," Matsuda said with a satisfied smile. "Right after you left, I held an emergency meeting. We marched straight over to the production company."

Matsuda, now sipping from her sake glass, had once been a voice actress herself—so drinking at work wasn't taboo.

For the younger actresses still active in the industry, however, they'd better hope they earn enough to retire before their livers give out.

"Wow… President, you're amazing!" Shouko exclaimed.

She had thought Kyousuke-kun's gift ended with the three side characters—but there had been even more behind it.

"Hahaha! If I didn't have this kind of awareness, how would anyone feel safe leaving their careers in my hands?"

"Looking forward to working with you, Onee-chan~," Ayano Kitani added with a smile, nursing her warm cup of tea.

Forget alcohol—she hadn't touched a drop in decades.

Professionalism at its finest.

"Ugh… P-Please don't call me that, Kitani-sensei. It's seriously throwing me off."

Shouko grimaced in protest, her cheeks puffed in embarrassment.

"That won't do," Kitani said gently. "You wrote all those detailed character bios to immerse yourself in the role, didn't you? Don't break immersion now, Onee-chan~."

"Even Kihara-senpai's teasing me now?" Shouko pouted.

Saki Kihara, who always carried herself with cool composure, gave only a small smile.

Even now, her drink of choice was a chilled glass of water—the condensation forming a delicate mist on the surface.

"Hehe… I owe getting this role to you, Shouko," Saki added.

"No no no, not at all! You all earned your parts through skill!" Shouko waved her hands frantically.

"Well, make sure you're prepared," Matsuda added, setting her cup down. "This is your official debut. You can't afford to mess it up."

"I won't. I'll give it everything I've got!"

Because this wasn't just any job—it was a role gifted to her by Kyousuke-kun. And there's no way she'd let it go to waste.

Taking advantage of the moment, the girl asked the two industry veterans beside her for more tips about voice acting sessions—the kind of things rarely covered in class: preparing outfits, directors' technical jargon, and other behind-the-scenes details.

...

After finishing their meal and stepping out of the private room, Shouko unexpectedly caught a somewhat familiar voice.

Yeah, it was a loud, enthusiastic urging to drink.

Just then, the waiter slid open the partition door, and she sneakily peeked inside.

It was Hiratsuka-sensei, the modern literature teacher, holding up a glass and loudly lamenting about some unknown man.

"Honestly, was it really necessary to squeeze my hand so hard during the handshake? And why jump so high? I wasn't doing it on purpose!"

She was still wearing her signature black vest and tie, with her iconic white coat hanging on the coat rack by the door.

Thanks to her senior colleagues, Shouko now had a rough understanding of the nightlife culture in Japanese restaurants.

Though a bit rude to say, Hiratsuka-sensei's expression and tone perfectly resembled a salaryman after work, venting about his boss's flaws and coworkers' mistakes to his drinking buddies.

The voice continued, but Shouko didn't listen further and moved on with the flow of people.

By the restaurant's entrance, the "Our Voice" group stood together, starting to say their goodbyes in small batches.

Even though many of them were now official voice actors, living costs in Tokyo were high, so quite a few still shared apartments.

They greeted each other and gradually dispersed in different directions.

"Shouko, how are you getting home? If you're not taking the subway, I can give you a ride," Saki asked, since she had come by car.

"I think you live in Edogawa, right? That's not exactly on the way," said Ena, who had been teasing Shouko earlier.

She didn't land a main role but still had a fairly substantial supporting character.

"I live in Taitō, which is pretty close to Mejirodai. Shouko, want to walk home with me?"

"Since the weather's so nice and traffic's light, a ride along the Ikebukuro line wouldn't be bad either," Saki didn't give up.

"Better to come with me! We can eat along the way—I know all the best food spots around the Yamanote Line!"

"Nitro-chan definitely won't come with you. You're just trying to get her as chubby as you are."

...

A large group of young women standing on the roadside naturally drew attention, but now that they were all talking loudly, passersby couldn't help but glance over.

As the center of the commotion, feeling overwhelmed by all this attention, Shouko quickly interrupted.

"I'm fine—Kyousuke-kun's coming to pick me up."

At those words, the arguing women immediately stopped and all turned their heads to Shouko in unison, like a scene from a horror movie.

"That's so nice. I wish my husband came to pick me up after work too."

"Hojou-san's such an outstanding man."

"Gave you a wonderful gift during the day and now a romantic date at night?"

"..."

After barely a second of silence, sarcastic remarks exploded like fireworks.

To Shouko's surprise, even usually cold Kikuhara Saki started asking about her.

"Does Hojou-san ride that all-black motorcycle?"

At that, the others fell silent.

They'd seen it before—Hojou Kyousuke, wearing a pure black helmet, riding a sleek black bike, with Shouko in white attire trailing the red taillights as they sped onto the highway.

That image was unforgettable after just one sighting.

Especially for Saki, who had voiced a cool, tough female boss involved in arms dealing—a character just like that.

She had even once been tempted to buy a motorcycle herself, but gave up for safety's sake.

Meeting everyone's gaze, Shouko tilted her head slightly and said,

"I probably won't be riding the bike today—I'm wearing a skirt, after all."

"Whoa, who knew even this kind of problem could get turned into PDA?"

"Kick Shouko out of the Forever Alone Club!"

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