Kyousuke had just reached the resting platform between the sixth and seventh floors when he saw Shouko, wearing a white T-shirt and pink shorts, standing at the door.
She was leaning over the railing, peering down eagerly.
As he was about to wave, he saw Shouko running down and grabbing his arm, pulling him upwards.
Her small face was filled with urgency.
"Come on, hurry! It's about to start!"
"What's about to start?" Kyousuke asked, following her pace and entering the room.
To his surprise, Shouko squatted down, apparently about to help him take off his shoes.
He quickly pressed his hand to her head.
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll do it myself."
"Hurry, hurry, it's about to start!" Shouko repeated, her small face filled with impatience, not even answering his question.
Hahaha, hurry, hurry. Shouko, are you the Alice in Wonderland rabbit?
Thinking about it, Kyousuke had to admit that the sight of Shouko squatting on the ground, her small face tilted up, her brown eyes filled with anxiousness, was truly adorable.
If she had a pair of long white ears, she'd be the cutest rabbit.
Quickly shaking off those random thoughts, Kyousuke put the things he was carrying down on the floor by the entrance, crouched down, and quickly changed into his slippers.
Seeing that he had changed, Shouko immediately pulled him to the living room and shoved him onto the couch.
"Auntie, Grandma, Yuzuru, good afternoon!" Kyousuke greeted as he sat down.
"Kyou-nii, you're finally here! If I hadn't known you were riding your bike, Shouko would've called you by now," Yuzuru said with a smile.
"What's going on? Why is Shouko so anxious?" Kyousuke asked naturally as he gently ruffled Shouko's head, who smiled shyly but didn't speak.
"Shouko's extracurricular class gave excellent students the chance to participate in anime voice acting."
"Today is the day the first episode of the anime airs," Nishimiya Yaeko explained with a smile, seeing her eldest daughter shyly looking down.
"Ah, if that's the case, you should've told me earlier."
"Shouko didn't know you were coming back to Kanto today. She was planning to record it and show you later," Yuzuru added.
"Hurry, it's about to start!" Shouko suddenly grabbed Kyousuke's arm and shook it excitedly, her big eyes fixed on the TV.
At the sound of her words, everyone around them became tense.
"Dragon Sword Fighter"
That was the name of the anime, and the TV station wasn't one of the big networks like Asahi TV, but rather a small station that Kyousuke had never heard of.
It was likely part of a Tokyo TV network, though, because there weren't that many channels airing anime.
Though, judging by the name of the anime, Kyousuke would rate it 8 out of 10, though it dropped to 6 points after seeing the opening.
He gave it 6 points purely because of Shouko's appearance.
As expected, a reward like this shouldn't be overly hyped.
Kyousuke wasn't sure if he was too harsh on the anime because he was nervous since it was Shouko's first voice acting appearance, but he felt a little guilty.
He had known Shouko wanted to be a voice actress, but hadn't paid enough attention to it.
Looking down, he felt Shouko's hand gripping his tightly.
'Well, as long as I can hear Shouko's voice, I, Kyousuke, will call this the bset anime of today!'
Soon, a monster appeared, and the village was naturally destroyed.
"Who's that?" a villager, whose face couldn't be seen clearly, pointed toward the hero, the Dragon Sword Fighter, walking from the distance.
At that moment, everyone in the room immediately recognized Shouko's voice.
Kyousuke turned to look at her, and sure enough, Shouko was staring at him with her sparkling brown eyes.
Looking like a cat that had just washed its face and was eagerly showing it off to its owner.
'Hey, Shouko, calm down a bit! Your mom and grandma are still here.'
'Shouldn't you let them praise you first?'
Even though he thought that, seeing the eager look in her eyes, Kyousuke couldn't bring himself to refuse her.
He quickly reached out and ruffled her smooth brown hair.
"That was amazing, Shouko! Even though it was only three words, it was the most important line of the whole episode."
"It was your question that confirmed the identity of the protagonist for the audience!" Kyousuke exaggerated, clapping his hands.
Hearing this, Shouko's eyes lit up with joy.
'Kyousuke-kun! How did he know I chose that line because of this?!'
"Exactly, exactly! The female protagonist's voice wasn't as nice as yours, Shouko. If it were up to me, you should have been the heroine!" Yuzuru also clapped, smiling.
"Hehe, Yuzuru, you're just talking nonsense," Shouko replied with a smile.
There were other roles with more lines, but Shouko chose the villager's line, which only had three words and didn't even show the character's face.
But that's what she really wanted from being a voice actress—Kyousuke-kun is the hero, and she's the unnamed nobody saved by the hero.
All she could do was shout his name when he saved the world.
Kyousuke had to admit that he was a bit excessive.
Ever since Shouko's scene ended, he couldn't remember anything from the rest of the episode.
His focus was entirely on feeling Shouko's small hand, still tightly gripping his.
"Let's watch it again! Let's watch it again!"
Finally, after the episode ended, Kyousuke quickly shouted.
Strictly speaking, this anime was a good piece of work worth revisiting, but only the first three minutes.
Yeah, Shouko appeared in those three minutes, and after that, the story became rather dull.
"I'll go get it!" Yuzuru quickly responded.
After a bit of operation, Shouko's familiar voice appeared again on the speaker.
"Who's he?"
"Who's he?"
———————————————————————
The whole family sat together, watching the anime over and over.
At first, they tried to watch the entire episode, but after a unanimous vote, they decided to only watch Shouko's scene and then restart.
Each time they rewatched it, Kyousuke and Yuzuru acted like a comedy duo, constantly praising Shouko, which made the shy girl blush nonstop.
Nishimiya Yaeko, the mother, and grandma couldn't help but laugh happily.
While watching TV, Kyousuke handed out the gifts he brought from Otaru, including a set of glassware and Yuzuru's "Bear Five Ramen."
As for Shouko's gift, he had kept it in his pocket.
If he had taken it out in front of everyone, Shouko would have been so embarrassed her head would have smoked.
"Wow, this is really delicious!" Yuzuru couldn't wait to open a packet of ramen for a late-night snack.
"If you like it, I brought thirty packs."
"That's too much, Kyousuke-kun," Nishimiya Yaeko said, gently ruffling her daughter's head with a smile.
"It's fine. If Yuzuru finishes them and wants more, I can have my family send some over."
"It's already this late, Kyou-nii. Why don't you stay over at our house?" Yuzuru said, sipping the last of her ramen broth and glancing at the time on the TV.
"Sorry, I have things to take care of when I get back to Tokyo, so I need to head back now," Kyousuke explained.
He knew that Yuzuru and Shouko were sharing a room, and there wasn't an extra guest room, so it'd be better not to inconvenience them.
There would be a next time.
"Sorry, Kyousuke-kun, for making you watch the animation for so long," Shouko said, her face instantly filled with guilt.
"Stop saying that! Watching the animation starring Shouko is the most important thing tonight," Kyousuke said, gently ruffling Shouko's head.
Honestly, this silly girl just loves to overthink things.
"Goodbye, Aunt, Grandma, Yuzuru, I'll take my leave now," he said, not saying goodbye to Shouko because she would definitely insist on seeing him downstairs.
"I'll walk you out, Kyousuke-kun," Shouko said quickly, standing up to change her clothes.
She wasn't going to go outside dressed like this.
"I'll come too," Yuzuru stood up as well.
"Hey, Yuzuru, hurry up and wash your bowl, then go to bed! Kids shouldn't stay up so late!" Shouko immediately turned around and said sternly.
"Hahaha." The others in the room burst into laughter, and a blushing Shouko quickly ran back to her room.
Looking at the closed door, Yuzuru hesitated for a moment, then moved from the couch to sit next to Kyousuke, speaking in a low voice.
"Kyou-nii, actually, about what happened in the voice acting class..."
Yuzuru was referring to the teacher's suggestion for Shouko to give up on becoming a voice actress.
Shouko hadn't intended to tell anyone about it, and when she got home, she tried to hide her unease.
However, Yuzuru, being perceptive, noticed something was off and managed to get Shouko to admit what had happened after some questioning.
"I see. Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Kyousuke said with a reassuring smile and a nod.
"I knew Kyou-nii would have a solution!" Yuzuru's face lit up with joy.
"Kyousuke-kun, actually..." Nishimiya's mother started to speak, but stopped when she heard the door to Shouko's room open.
"Sorry for the wait, Kyousuke-kun." Shouko stood in front of him, now wearing a white jacket and casual pants.
"Well, I'll head out now. See you next time, Yuzuru," Kyousuke said, nodding at Nishimiya's mother and grandmother after saying goodbye to Yuzuru.
"Take care."
"Let's go, Shouko."
"Mm."
Shouko's house was an older building, so there was no elevator, but the hallway was equipped with motion-sensor lights.
Kyousuke walked ahead, with Shouko following behind him.
They didn't speak, but with every step they took, the motion-sensor lights lit up one by one.
It felt like they were living together and going out for a late-night snack!
Watching Kyousuke-kun's back, Shouko's heart was filled with sweetness.
Once they reached the first floor, they ignored the motorcycle parked downstairs and walked toward the river in front of the apartment, where the Sakura Festival was held in Mizumon city.
The moment Kyousuke saw the outfit Shouko had changed into, he realized she wasn't just sending him off.
They hadn't seen each other for more than half a month, and he missed her—no doubt, she missed him too.
"Here's a gift."
When they reached a streetlamp by the river, Kyousuke took a wooden box with a cup inside from his pocket and handed it to her.
All of his jackets had big pockets that could easily fit a 500ml bottle of soda, so he was always prepared.
"Ah?"
Shouko froze when she saw the wooden box in his large hand.
Then she realized this was a special gift just for her, and her small face flushed with excitement.
"Shouko, is today the Sakura Festival?" Kyousuke said softly.
Under the white streetlight, her blush was even more beautiful than the cherry blossoms in spring.
"Mm?" Shouko, confused, lifted her gaze from the wooden box.
Her big eyes were filled with confusion as she let out a soft sound.
"Looking at your face, it's like I've returned to spring," Kyousuke said earnestly.
"Kyousuke-kun!" No one could resist Kyousuke's sincerity at this moment.
When he gazed into those deep, almost black eyes, Shouko quickly shyly accepted the wooden box, turning her face away.
"What's this?" Shouko carefully traced the smooth, waxed surface of the box with her fingers, eagerly asking.
"Mm, it's a work from the national treasure of Japan, Kyousuke," he joked.
In Japan, a "national treasure" could be understood as someone who is an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage.
"Ah?" Shouko's little mouth opened slightly.
The already clumsy girl became even more bashful in this moment.
"Hurry, open it and see."
"Mm!" After snapping out of her daze, Shouko opened the box and pulled out the cup inside.
"Shou?" The glass seemed to have a magical quality, making everyone who held it admire it under the light.
"Mm, in Otaru, I saw 'Shouko' every day," Kyousuke said with a smile.
"Oh, I know, Otaru is the city of glass!" Shouko responded, her voice filled with excitement, but her gaze never left the glass cup in her hands.
She held the cup carefully with both hands, adjusting its angle under the light, her eyes locked on the printed "Shou" character on it.
"It's so beautiful." Her voice sounded dreamy, like Alice wandering in a whimsical land, with her brown eyes reflecting the transparent, slightly white glass.
"Remember to drink more warm water in the future, especially when you're practicing voice acting."
"At home, there's honey from Hokkaido in those jars. You can take a spoonful and mix it with water to protect your voice," Kyousuke added, gently stroking Shouko's head.
The satisfied look on her face was the greatest reward for his gift.
Hearing her soft murmurs and seeing her shining eyes, he wished he could return to Otaru and make 365 cups so she could change one every day.
"Mm!" Shouko closed her eyes like a kitten, her little feet shifting slightly to feel Kyousuke's touch more.
'Actually, I also prepared a gift for Kyousuke-kun.' Shouko thought to herself.
The line she had chosen to say, giving up a more important role for this one, was her gift to Kyousuke-kun.
To her, Kyousuke-kun was like a hero, just like the Dragon Sword Fighter, who saved her, her family, and her life.
"The voice acting thing isn't something to rush. When my manga gets animated, I'll recommend you to the animation studio."
"For now, what you need to do is enjoy life and stay happy every day." Kyousuke didn't mention that he had already prepared to start his own animation company.
"Mm." Shouko kept her eyes closed, softly humming.
'But, no, Kyousuke-kun. For this one thing, I want to achieve it on my own.'
The gentle, cat-like girl thought stubbornly.