However, Akira didn't analyze these Voice actor issues behind the characters for Miyako just to show off or flaunt his credentials as an otaku Brahmin.
There were many anime airing during the prime time slot of 8 PM. Akira specifically chose Star Pretty Girl because the three protagonist girls in this anime happened to represent the three stages of a female Voice actor's career path.
The newcomer Shiori, the professional Seiko, and the experienced Xiao Huang corresponded to the three levels: beginner (entry-level), pillar (intermediate), and industry top (advanced).
These were the three stages of 'imaginary enemies' he prepared for Miyako.
Although fame can only be accumulated slowly, a Voice actor's strength can be accumulated starting now. The proficiency in voice acting must be raised first.
There might be shortcuts on the path to becoming a professional, but if one doesn't have solid strength, they will quickly be surpassed by stronger individuals.
And one's own strength can only be built through a large amount of practice, independently mastering voice acting techniques, understanding the character's psychology, and then performing the character with heart.
Effort may not guarantee success, but it will never betray you.
"Shion, your first task is to complete these three characters, which means you need to perfect the parts where their voices weren't well-matched."
"Huh? I'm going to complete them?"
Miyako pointed to herself, asking back in disbelief and a lack of confidence.
"Yes, now that you know where the voice acting problems for these three characters lie, the next step is to solve those problems."
In the morning, Akira had said he would first train her lung capacity, so Miyako thought the initial training would just be pronunciation exercises or something similar. She never expected to jump straight into fixing the shortcomings of three Voice actor.
This was practically like saying: "Great! You've learned the hiragana and katakana. Now go challenge the Akutagawa Prize!"
Even the rookie "Little Pink" whom he criticized for poor voice acting was a professional Voice actor!
And she wasn't even a rookie; she wasn't even a trainee…
Akira saw through her unease and encouraged her with a serious expression.
"Don't be timid, and don't think you're necessarily worse than them. The only difference between you and them is 'experience.' In terms of talent, you are far superior to them."
Just one sentence dispelled all of Miyako's self-doubt.
She might not yet be able to believe in herself, but she was willing to believe in Akira, who had brought her home.
"…Yes! I will do my best!"
Miyako clenched her fists and placed them on her chest, her eyes no longer filled with inferiority.
That's right, believe in Akira-kun.
He chose me!
"Very good, that's the spirit. Now, let's watch that episode again. This time, you need to read along with the lines. Just pick one character you think you can imitate."
When watching the anime earlier, Akira hadn't forgotten to record it. This is how it is in Neon; people record TV shows they want to watch and rewatch them.
After all, copyright awareness here is very strong, and one can't freely watch works they want on the ocean of the internet like in his previous life.
There were no such resources!
"First, let me say, it's not just watching it again. You need to watch it repeatedly until you've mastered all three characters. It's best to memorize all the lines as well."
Akira further explained the importance of memorizing lines.
"Because you will encounter many situations later where you need to read lines on the spot and audition. Many times, poor performance is due to insufficient preparation and not remembering the lines well. So, in addition to voice acting, you also need to strengthen your memory."
"Understood. I'll memorize the lines first."
"Although repeatedly watching the same anime episode is a boring and tedious process, our resources are limited right now, so we can only do this."
"I'm fine with it. I can watch it a hundred more times if needed."
"Okay, start with learning and imitating, then we'll make adjustments. I'll clearly tell you the direction for adjustment, and you also need to find your own feel for it."
"Alright."
Hearing that Akira would also be listening and helping, Miyako immediately felt at ease.
As long as she did as Akira-kun said, she definitely wouldn't go wrong!
"Excellent! Then this plan shall be called the 'Shilipo Voice actor Training Plan'!"
"Shilipo…?"
The unfamiliar term, which she had never heard before, made Miyako tilt her head.
"You can understand it as: 'He who does not sing, once he sings, will astonish all.' It's about making everyone look at you with new eyes, reaching the peak upon your debut. My acknowledgment alone isn't enough; you need to make everyone recognize you."
"…Yes!"
"Finally, let's set a simple 'graduation goal.' If you were to audition alongside those three Voice actor, you would need the solid strength to snatch those three roles from them."
Miyako imagined herself auditioning with these three seniors in the Voice actor industry. A sense of reality, that she would be competing on the same stage as professional Voice actor, washed over her, and a wave of nervousness immediately surged.
"Bluntly speaking, I want you to surpass them. After all, you are the one I chose. How can you be worse than them?"
"Yes! I will definitely surpass them!"
Miyako, who had never uttered such bold words, now made a grand declaration.
As long as she became a professional Voice actor, earned a lot of money, and then shared it with Akira-kun, it would prove that his judgment was not wrong!
She must make him proud of choosing her!
"But don't worry, I won't actually make you watch it a hundred times. Later, I'll find a way to get some money to rent more anime for your reference. For now, just bear with it."
Even if Shionomiya Shion was a genius, making this 'big leg' stronger still required a certain investment of money and time.
For example, she needed to rent CDs to watch various types of anime, allowing her to recognize more representative characters, broaden her horizons, and fully unleash her talent in acting and voice.
Akira had been worrying about where to get this initial capital, but the Literary Club just happened to launch a private writing competition for light novels.
As long as he defeated Shirai Shiori, he could snatch Aizono Moe to be his exclusive illustrator, and then he could make money by writing light novels.
And speaking of money, Miyako also remembered the 10,000 yen Akira had given her.
Because the ultra-short, tight shorts of her gymnastics uniform had no pockets, she folded the remaining money and put it into her top. As long as she tucked the hem of her top into her pants, it wouldn't fall out.
Now she wanted to return the remaining money to Akira, so she pulled out her top.
Akira thought she was going to take off her clothes and was startled. But Miyako only revealed her flat stomach, slender waist, and cute belly button, and didn't pull her top up any further.
That slender waist was truly exquisite; it must look great when she swayed. He even wanted to touch it… but a young girl's stomach couldn't be touched.
Just as he thought this, Miyako took Akira's hand and made him touch her lower abdomen.
Oh, so smooth… No, it felt a bit lumpy?
Akira looked closely, and what was hindering his touch were three banknotes.
Miyako pointed at her index finger and said, lowering her head,
"Akira-kun, this is the 10,000 yen you gave me. There's some left after buying things…"
By carefully saving this money, Miyako wanted to hear Akira's praise, perhaps for being thrifty.
Her mother loved to hear those words, and she also wanted Akira to say them to her.
"Oh, there's actually some left?"
Originally, Akira had been worried she might spend too much, which was why he wanted to take her to the convenience store himself. But now it seemed his worry was unnecessary.
After buying some daily necessities, she still had 3,000 yen left.
She wasn't too extravagant; she was too thrifty.
Akira did not take the three banknotes, which carried the scent of a young girl, but instead put them back into Miyako's hand.
"But you should spend when you need to. This is my investment phase in you, so there's no need for you to be so frugal. Saving money isn't something you need to worry about."
Having confirmed that Miyako was not a spendthrift young lady, Akira already felt he had made a good deal.
There was no need for him to keep this small amount of money anyway; it couldn't buy much. The bento from the convenience store certainly wasn't as delicious as the class president's homemade bento.
Although she didn't get praised, Miyako was still very happy that Akira was willing to let her continue using the money.
"Then… can I use it to buy milk?"
"Do whatever you want. You don't need to ask me. But you like drinking milk so much?"
"Yes, milk is delicious."
Actually, Miyako had never cared for milk before. The bottle of milk Akira gave her made her realize for the first time that milk could be so delicious.
However, the more important reason was… in the morning, Akira had stared intently at the two fleshy mounds of the athletic girl, Tomita Haruka.
She felt a little upset.
She didn't want him to look at other women…
Suddenly, this thought came to her.
So, she needed to drink more milk, at least enough to become bigger than Tomita Haruka.
That way, he would only look at her!