Female protagonists from various anime/manga crossovers? They'll all regret it for the rest of

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Only Kasumigaoka Utaha's gaze didn't linger on the phone screen; instead, it passed over the screen and shot directly at Itsuka Yuuto, who was pretending to read a book.

“Yes, she’s very ‘capable’.” She drawled out her words, implying something.

"After all, not everyone is lucky enough to meet a mentor who appreciates their talent, let alone the original author who holds great power."

Eriri belatedly realized something was wrong. She looked at Shiho, then at Yuto, her face full of confusion.

Yuto put down his book; he knew he couldn't avoid this hurdle.

He looked up and met Kasumigaoka Utaha's gaze.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Don't you know best what I'm trying to say, Itsuka-kun?" Kasumigaoka Utaha put away her phone, slowly stood up, and walked step by step to him.

She leaned down, her long black hair falling beside his cheek, causing a slight tickle.

She whispered in his ear in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Who is this girl named Aoyama Nanami?"

“You’ve done so much for her, even using your power as the original author to pave the way for her. This is unlike your usual ‘better to do less’ approach.”

"Tell me, Yuto Itsuka, what story between you and her is something I don't know?"

Faced with his senior's relentless pressure and Eriri's uneasy gaze from the side, Yuto felt a headache coming on.

The barley tea that Kato Megumi had just served was still steaming hot. She held her cup and sat quietly in the corner.

Eriri's stylus hovered above the graphics tablet, her blue eyes scanning back and forth between Yuto and Utaha, a mixture of confusion and instinctive wariness in her gaze.

She slammed down her pen with a "snap," and the chair made a soft thud as she did so.

"Hey, Kasumigaoka Utaha, what do you mean by that? Yuto is the original author, isn't it normal for him to care about the voice actors? It's not like he's abusing his power for personal gain!"

She wanted to defend Yuuto, but when she spoke, she sounded somewhat unsure of herself.

Because she too had doubts swirling in her mind, the name "Aoyama Nanami" was indeed far too unfamiliar.

For a complete newcomer to land such an important role as Anna is nothing short of meteoric in the industry, and there is something extraordinary about it.

Yuto put down the book in his hand, the page lingering on some unimportant paragraph.

He knew that this problem needed an answer today.

Silence and avoidance will only fuel the senior's suspicions.

He raised his head, his expression calm, even composed.

"Senior, you're overthinking it," Yuto Itsuka replied.

"Ms. Aoyama and I were complete strangers before this audition."

"Oh?" Shi Yu raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing it.

"The reason I recommended her was entirely based on professional judgment."

"As for Anna, you've read the original manuscript, senior. What is her core charm?"

Before Shiyu could answer, he asked and answered himself: "She was just an ordinary girl who was pushed to the princess's side by fate."

“Ms. Aoyama perfectly embodied this.”

Eriri nodded repeatedly as she listened; as an illustrator, she naturally understood this.

So that’s it!

She immediately puffed out her chest, feeling that she was in the right again, and snorted at Shiyu: "Did you hear that! This is professionalism! Don't you understand professionalism? You're just a scheming writer who only knows how to write mushy romance novels!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha put away her phone, slowly stood up, her shapely calves encased in black stockings, and walked step by step to Yuto's table.

She leaned down, her long black hair cascading down like a waterfall, a few strands even gently brushing against Yuto's cheeks, bringing a slightly itchy touch and the refreshing scent of shampoo.

She crossed her arms over her chest and quietly watched Yuto.

His gaze was open and honest, his logic self-consistent, and there were no obvious flaws to be found.

But a woman's intuition, or rather, Kasumigaoka Utaha's intuition, was still screaming "incongruous."

She sneered, "That sounds nice, a creator's intuition? A hardworking ordinary girl? What a touching script."

"However, junior, you always seem to have a particular fondness for these 'hardworking ordinary girls'?"

She glanced almost imperceptibly at Kato Megumi, who was quietly drinking tea beside her.

Kato Megumi paused, holding her teacup. She looked up, blinked, and her expression remained calm, as if to say, "Ah, are you talking about me?"

Yuto keenly noticed Shiwa's shifting gaze, and he suddenly smiled.

"Speaking of which, Kasumigaoka-senpai." He skillfully shifted the balance of power.

"I remember in your novel 'Love Metronome,' wasn't the female protagonist also an ordinary-looking girl with a strong inner strength who kept striving for her dreams?"

"Could it be that, senior, when you were creating her character 'Yo-chan,' you also had some 'story I don't know' with the prototype?"

“You…!” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s breath hitched.

This is using her logic to fight back against her.

"Or perhaps..." Yuto continued, not giving her a chance to breathe, "Shouldn't an excellent creator possess this kind of empathy? To be able to see the shadow of a character in a complete stranger and cheer for them."

"If you can't even do that, and you only judge based on personal likes and dislikes, then such a work is far too narrow-minded."

These words were like a heavy punch, directly striking Kasumigaoka Utaha's pride as a top creator.

She can question Yuto's personal motives, but she cannot deny the professional competence and broad-mindedness that a creator should possess.

Otherwise, it would be demeaning to herself.

Silence fell in the activity room again, this time, it was Kasumigaoka Utaha who fell silent.

She stared at Yuto for a full ten seconds, her deep eyes swirling with resentment and scrutiny, and a sense of defeat that she herself was unaware of.

Finally, she gave a heavy snort, turned around, and walked back to her seat.

"You talk a good game, but I hope your 'professional judgment' won't drag animation down."

That being said, it is tantamount to a temporary truce.

With the crisis temporarily averted, Yuuto secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, as soon as he turned his head, he met Eriri's blue eyes, which were filled with grievance and dissatisfaction.

She was glaring at him angrily, as if accusing him of being completely unable to join the conversation and feeling like an outsider during his heated exchange with Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Moreover, Liu Yinqi Yiren Ba Si (IV), he explained so much to that scheming woman, but he was always so stingy with words when it came to himself.

Yuto smiled helplessly, picked up a cookie from the table, and held it to her lips.

"what--"

"W-What are you doing!" Eriri blushed, but still subconsciously opened her mouth and bit into the cookie.

The crunchy texture and the sweet aroma of butter melted instantly in her mouth, slightly soothing her unhappiness.

"Alright, stop overthinking it." Yuto ruffled her blonde hair. "Keep drawing, Ms. Kashiwagi Eri. The success or failure of the animation depends on your drawings."

"N-Of course!" Eriri's lips curled up uncontrollably, and her twin tails seemed to regain their vitality, swaying proudly.

The club activity room returned to a semblance of calm.

The sounds of typing on the keyboard, the scratching of the stylus on the tablet, and the occasional soft turning of pages by Megumi Kato all blended together, just as usual.

However, as the event neared its end and she was packing up, Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her back to everyone and put a book into her bag.

Through the reflection in the windowpane, her gaze once again fell on Yuto Itsuka, who was discussing character details with Eriri.

The scrutiny and suspicion in his eyes had not disappeared.

She made up her mind in secret.

Yuto Itsuka, there must be a secret between you and that girl named Nanami Aoyama.

And I, Xia Shizi, am best at uncovering secrets.

……

Volume 1: Chapter 136: The Difference Between Voice Acting and Ventriloquism

The recording studio at A-1 Pictures headquarters and the club room at Toyosaki Academy, filled with laughter and joy, are two completely different worlds.

The air here is cold, and the soundproof walls absorb all the noise, leaving only the lone microphone in the center, scrutinizing every voice that stands before it.

Aoyama Nanami felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

This was the first time in her life that she officially voiced an important character in a commercial animation.

Everything around her made her feel small and uneasy.

In the control room, separated by thick glass, sat a row of important figures she had only ever seen in magazines—the producer Masato Ando, ​​with a kind smile but sharp eyes; the director Seiichiro Kinoshita, who looked somewhat tired but had focused eyes; and… the man who instilled fear in her from the bottom of her heart.

Sound supervisor: Shinsuke Takahashi.

He was tall and had a serious face; a deep nasolabial fold made him look more stern than his actual age.

He was the mentor that Nanami met in the simulation world, but the sense of oppression he brought during their first meeting in reality was a hundred times more severe than in the simulation.

"Next scene, scene fifteen, Anna's lines after witnessing the carnage on her first battlefield experience." Director Takahashi's voice came through the earpiece.

Nanami took a deep breath and turned to the designated page of the script.

The scene is set on a devastated battlefield. Anna is ordered to protect the princess during her retreat, but the corpses of her companions and the splattered blood before her eyes almost break her, a country girl who has never seen killing before.

She closed her eyes, trying to get into character.

"...Your Highness, please, please leave here quickly...I...I will hold them off..."

The moment the words left her mouth, she knew she had messed up.

Her voice trembled, but it was the tension that belonged to Aoyama Nanami.

Her performance was superficial and empty.

"stop."

Director Takahashi's voice immediately rang out.

“Miss Aoyama, are you reciting lines? I need emotion, not a broken record. Anna is afraid, but she is also a protector. Her voice should convey the resolve to draw her sword, not the readiness to cry for her mother.”

"Again."

"Yes... I'm very sorry!" Nanami bowed deeply, her forehead almost touching the microphone.

The second time, she tried to suppress her nervousness and show determination, but her voice became stiff and rigid, losing the softness that a young girl should have.

"No!" Takahashi's voice became stern. "Are you a tin can? Where is the character's depth? Fear, responsibility, bravado... I didn't hear a single one of these complex emotions! Do you really understand this character?"

The atmosphere in the control room grew increasingly oppressive.

Director Kinoshita frowned, looking worriedly at Nanami on the other side of the glass.

Producer Ando kept glancing at his watch; time was money, and a newcomer's problem was slowing down the entire production process.

Yuto Itsuka sat to the side, watching everything unfold.

He understood Nanami's predicament better than anyone else.

She is talented, but her talent is like a rough, unpolished gem that needs proper guidance to shine.

Now, under intense pressure and harsh criticism, she has completely lost her way and fallen into a quagmire of self-doubt.

The problem doesn't just lie with Nanami.

Yuto also keenly realized that although the production team was professional, their understanding of Anna's character was still limited to the label of "strong head maid".

They were unable to convey the deeper core of "pretending to be strong but being vulnerable" to Nanami, and therefore could not guide her to make the right performance.

The entire team was caught in a delicate stalemate.

“Mr. Takahashi, how about... we take a break?” Producer Ando tried to ease the tension.

"A break?" Director Takahashi frowned even more. "How much recording time is there for an animation? Are we going to waste everyone's time here for a newcomer?"

His words almost froze the already tense atmosphere.

Aoyama Nanami's face was deathly pale, and she gripped the script tightly.