We All Have a Bright Future

Before she even had time to celebrate, the manager beside her had already stepped forward, her face flushed with excitement, and grasped Haneda Tasuku’s hand.

“Director Haneda, thank you so much for your hard work…”

“Cut the crap. This kid has great talent, but I can’t guarantee what she’ll turn into after being churned through your agency’s commercialized machinery.”

Hearing the words “commercialized machinery,” Kazakami Ritsu immediately perked up her ears.

Koconoe Tooru didn’t seem to intend to hide anything either, responding with a wry smile.

“You know as well as I do that this isn’t an era where one can make money relying solely on their voice anymore.”

As she broached this topic, a trace of resentment crept into Koconoe Tooru’s tone.

With the encroachment of games and film, the skill requirements for voice actors have become increasingly demanding.

“Being able to sing and dance is just the baseline now. The industry environment changed the moment they started producing anime and music based on the voice actors’ own images.”

As she said this, a look of distress appeared on Koconoe Tooru’s face.

As if he had heard something infuriating, Haneda Tasuku let go of her hand in annoyance.

“Even so, one must strictly adhere to their core profession! A voice actor is a profession that bestows life and soul upon a character!”

Seeing that Haneda Tasuku was getting angry, Koconoe Tooru hurriedly began to apologize, spending quite a while coaxing him until he calmed down.

“Oh my, I am truly sorry, Director Haneda. How about we have dinner together tonight? My treat!”

“You said yourself that this child has talent, so please, do give us some face and offer her a few pointers.”

Watching her manager and the Sound Director, who had inexplicably started tugging at each other mid-conversation, Kazakami Ritsu silently shuffled a few steps toward the vending machine.

Could there be some dirty deal going on here that she didn’t know about?

The world of adults was truly dark.

Koconoe Tooru seemed to notice her small movements and shuffled a few steps in Kazakami Ritsu’s direction.

“Want to go celebrate together tonight? It’s on me.”

“Didn’t you say we have to take official profile photos later?”

“I definitely have to drag Director Haneda out for a meal. Why don’t we just go for Yakiniku tonight?”

‘Your lines sound a bit too dangerous; please allow me to refuse.’

In the end, however, Kazakami Ritsu couldn’t bring herself to say those words.

This was because her manager, Koconoe Tooru, actually succeeded in inviting Director Haneda to dinner after he finished the remaining auditions.

“Having a distinctive voice is a good thing, but it is also a bad thing.”

Inside a private room at a certain restaurant, Haneda Tasuku held up his sake cup with a solemn expression.

An excellent voice allows the audience to remember you in an instant, but this also makes it very easy for your other roles to be typecast.

Kazakami Ritsu, who had experience in creative writing, agreed with his statement.

In a novel, there are many elements that give life to a character: excellent character design and personality settings, a rich background, and thrilling experiences.

Animation, however, requires suitable voices and excellent art on top of these foundational conditions.

Haneda Tasuku drained the sake in his cup in one gulp, his eyes shining brightly; he looked just like a devout believer.

“Your name is Kazakami Ritsu, right? Your voice is quite gorgeous, but that is also where the problem lies.”

“Yes, please instruct me!”

Hearing her name from Haneda Tasuku’s mouth, Kazakami Ritsu, who had been zoning out with a glass of juice in hand, immediately sat up straight.

Haneda Tasuku, whose figure was slightly on the plump side, picked up the cup that Koconoe Tooru had refilled for him, his eyes flickering with nostalgia.

“I used to travel all over, working on games and movies, and I’ve heard many voices like yours that possess strong individual characteristics.”

Speaking to this point, Haneda Tasuku smiled faintly.

“But what you need to do now is actually to make changes while retaining those characteristics.”

‘Make changes…?’

Kazakami Ritsu waited for the rest with a serious face; the advice of a veteran Sound Director was extremely valuable to her, especially as she was currently in a phase of uncertainty regarding her future.

Haneda Tasuku narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze toward Kazakami Ritsu full of appreciation.

“Your voice is clear and ethereal, which is your characteristic, so it suits a character like Meihime very well. However, you must also consider the future.”

At this point, a vague guess began to form in Kazakami Ritsu’s mind.

‘Having a voice that stands out too much is actually a bad thing?’

‘Does this Director Haneda mean I should appear more mediocre?’

Seeming to spot her doubts, Haneda Tasuku lifted his cup, drank the sake within, and exhaled a long breath.

” The voice must change according to your role and identity. Meihime is just an early-stage guide character, so during the official recording, you can appropriately exercise restraint and hide your brilliance while retaining some of your characteristics.”

As Haneda Tasuku explained this, Koconoe Tooru, who was refilling his cup once again, couldn’t help but smile.

“Director Haneda, after all, this is the first role she has auditioned for. It’s normal to have some issues.”

Haneda Tasuku didn’t voice any objection to Koconoe Tooru’s words, merely glancing at her with a bit of disdain.

If a rookie voice actor didn’t know how to show restraint, they would be ostracized by the seniors from other agencies in the industry.

Even in the sparsely populated world of voice acting, the internal conflicts of the industry were shockingly intense.

Glancing at the lavish dishes on the table, Haneda Tasuku decided to offer some real, substantial advice to the newcomer.

He tilted his head slightly and looked at Kazakami Ritsu.

“Your control over emotions still needs practice, and there are slight flaws in your vocal transitions. However, these issues are caused by a lack of experience, so they will improve as your experience grows.”

Kazakami Ritsu listened with a face full of seriousness, etching Director Haneda’s suggestions into the bottom of her heart.

Only by discovering where the problems lay could she strengthen her practice in those areas during future training.

However, Haneda Tasuku only spoke simply on those points before shifting the focus to praising her.

“Kazakami, your voice is quite clear and gorgeous. Even as the voice for a big-screen female lead, it would be in the top tier.”

He first praised Kazakami Ritsu’s characteristics, and immediately followed up with corresponding advice.

“You need to refine the usage of your voice and expand your vocal range while increasing your combat experience. Only then will your career path become wider.”

Kazakami Ritsu nodded thoughtfully, and then, under Koconoe Tooru’s hint, offered her thanks to Haneda Tasuku.

Haneda Tasuku simply waved his hand, letting out a careless chuckle.

“As a senior in the field, I naturally hope to see more excellent juniors like you emerge within the circle.”

Saying this, Haneda Tasuku’s expression straightened slightly as he looked at Koconoe Tooru beside him with a questioning gaze.

He remembered that this person before him had quite a few successful voice actors under her management.

In that case, why not let those veterans mentor these rookies?

As a workplace veteran, Koconoe Tooru guessed what he was thinking the moment their eyes met.

This was doing her a bit of an injustice; she had originally planned for the child to fail this audition to dampen her arrogance, and then find a veteran voice actor to mentor her.

After all, every rookie voice actor, upon debut, would more or less start by voicing characters with only one or two lines—characters who might not even have names—just to build up seniority.

Someone like Kazakami Ritsu, who passed on her first audition and snatched a named role with lines in one fell swoop, was already an extreme minority.

However, she didn’t explain herself. Instead, she followed Haneda Tasuku’s train of thought and pushed the topic further.

“I originally planned to arrange for Hananoi-san to mentor her, but I just hadn’t found a good opportunity. Now, with your approval, Director Haneda, wouldn’t that be even better…”

Hearing this, Haneda Tasuku immediately understood what this cunning individual was plotting.

Truly worthy of being GS’s ace manager; she actually wanted him to create more opportunities for this rookie.

However, since the girl’s performance was indeed excellent, it wasn’t out of the question.

“Don’t just trouble me. You guys at GS need to put in some effort yourselves, right? In this era, as long as you have a bit of strength and ride the wind of traffic, are you afraid the path won’t be smooth?”

“You are right. We will naturally provide appropriate assistance. Enough of that, cheers!”

Although Koconoe Tooru didn’t get a direct affirmative answer from Haneda Tasuku, she still enthusiastically clinked glasses with him.

The drinking party soon ended in an atmosphere where both host and guest were thoroughly pleased.

After smiling and seeing Haneda Tasuku off into a taxi, Koconoe Tooru finally let out a long breath and reached up to rub her cheeks.

“Big Sister Koconoe, right now you look just like a parent who just finished a parent-teacher conference.”

Seeing her manager’s somewhat haggard appearance, Kazakami Ritsu couldn’t help but crack a joke.

The manager smiled upon hearing this; she was relatively satisfied with the outcome of this social engagement.

“What you said is true. Right now, I am essentially your parent. After all, we are bound together by work, so I am very happy that you performed well.”

As she spoke, Koconoe Tooru reached out to rub her lower back, which was sore from sitting for so long, and gave Kazakami Ritsu instructions.

“You can be considered officially in the industry now. Remember to come to the company tomorrow to shoot your official profile photos. There are also some other matters I need to brief you on. Let’s end it here for today. Good work.”