chsdbacks Page 116
Page 116
There was a dead silence on the other end of the line.
After a good ten seconds, a scream even louder than Nanami's erupted.
"Aaaaaah! Really?! Nanami! You're not kidding me, are you?! Oh my god! That's amazing! You're my pride and joy!"
Hearing her manager's incoherent ecstasy, Nanami couldn't help but laugh along, but her tears flowed even more fiercely.
……
Back to that familiar little apartment on the third floor in a corner.
As soon as Nanami entered the room, she pounced onto the bed, turned around, looked at the ceiling, and grinned foolishly for a while.
Then, she sat up abruptly and grabbed the tiger pillow from the headboard.
"Torajiro!"
She buried her face deep into the fluffy body of the pillow and let out an uncontrollable cheer.
"I did it! Torajiro! I did it!"
All the perseverance, all the effort, all the grievances and anxieties, at this moment, have transformed into the sweetest fruit.
There is only one person she wants to share this joy with.
She rushed to her desk, practically pounced on the computer, and opened that familiar email address as quickly as possible.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, so excited she could barely type a complete sentence.
【Mr. X! I did it! I really did it!】
[It's Asuka Films! It's an animation by Director Takahashi! I got a very, very important role! He personally chose me! He approved of me!]
【I'm so incredibly grateful... I really don't know what to say! It all feels like a dream! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today! When I failed my first audition, if it weren't for you, I might have given up and gone back to Osaka.】
You gave me the courage to stand up again, you gave me the best weapon, and you made me believe that I can become a unique star!
Thank you! Really... I don't know what else to say but thank you.
I will do my utmost to repay your expectations! I will never let this role down, and I will never let you down!
She checked it several times, afraid of making any typos, and then pressed the send button heavily.
The email was successfully sent, and Nanami breathed a long sigh of relief.
She lay on the table, watching the sky outside the window gradually turn orange-red, her heart filled with an unprecedented peace and contentment.
……
A week later, Asuka Pictures officially announced the main production team and voice cast for the theatrical anime film "Beyond the Stars".
The news immediately caused a huge uproar in the industry and among anime fans.
"A Bird Pictures' annual blockbuster!"
"Sound supervisor, Shinsuke Takahashi!"
"One of the female protagonists, 'Isla,' is voiced by Nanami Aoyama."
When this unfamiliar name appeared among a group of industry bigwigs, everyone felt intense curiosity and surprise.
"Aoyama Nanami? Who's that? I've never heard of that name before."
"I checked, and it seems to be a newcomer who hasn't been in the industry for long? He's only voiced one game character?"
"Are you kidding me? Shinsuke Takahashi's work, casting a complete newcomer in an important role? Is he crazy?"
"There's definitely something fishy going on here! It's absolutely a case of the agency pushing this on!"
The online discussion was heated, with questions, speculations, and a few players who knew her because of "Tsukuyomi" fighting to defend her.
"It's not some inside story! Nanami is incredibly talented! You'll know once you hear her voice acting in 'Echoes of the Oracle'!"
"Exactly! Being selected by Coach Takahashi speaks for itself! I trust the coach's judgment!"
At the voice acting school, the teachers were very proud and regarded this as the most noteworthy recruitment campaign case of the year.
At the agency, Ms. Yamamoto's phone was ringing off the hook, and interview requests from major media outlets were pouring in like snowflakes; she walked with an air of confidence.
As for all of this, Aoyama Nanami simply accepted it calmly and then devoted more energy to studying the script.
She knew that praise and criticism from the outside world were just fleeting moments, and in the end, only her works and strength could prove her worth.
……
Meanwhile, in Osaka, thousands of miles away...
A middle-aged man with a serious face and slightly graying temples was sitting on the tatami mat, watching the evening news on TV.
His name is Seiichi Aoyama, and he is the father of Nanami Aoyama.
In the news, the female anchor is reporting the latest developments in the cultural industry in an enthusiastic tone, while a promotional poster for "The Other Side of the Stars" flashes across the screen.
Seiichi Aoyama's gaze was instantly drawn to the small print at the bottom of the poster.
Voice actor: ...Nanami Aoyama.
His pupils contracted sharply, and his hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.
Nanami...
It was his daughter, Nanami.
Ever since she stubbornly insisted on going to Tokyo to pursue her seemingly unattainable dream of becoming a voice actress, the relationship between father and daughter has plummeted to a freezing point.
How long has it been since he had a proper conversation with his daughter? Apart from the last time his daughter called home and their relationship was barely improved, he has never taken the initiative to contact her.
He said he was cutting ties and would never care about her again, but what parent could really be so heartless as to abandon their child?
He would secretly search online for the voice acting school his daughter attended, worry that she might not have enough to eat or wear while alone in Tokyo, and toss and turn at night because of a phone call he couldn't get through to.
He's just... not good at expressing himself.
He was just afraid that his daughter would suffer hardships and injustices outside, and that in the end, all her dreams would be shattered, and she would run back home crying.
He believed that his strong opposition was for her own good.
But now...
On the television screen, his daughter's name was listed alongside that top-tier company in the industry and the name of that famous director he had heard of.
That's no longer a trivial matter, no longer just a hobby.
It is a truly prestigious and recognized career in the industry.
Seiichi Aoyama felt his eyes getting hot.
He put down his teacup, stood up silently, and walked to the phone.
He picked up the microphone, his fingers hovering over the dial pad for a long time.
Finally, he took a deep breath and dialed the number he knew by heart but hadn't called in a long time.
The call was connected very quickly.
"Hello? This is Aoyama Nanami."
On the other end of the phone, I heard my daughter's familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice.
She speaks standard Mandarin very well; you can hardly detect any trace of the Kansai dialect.
She must have suffered a lot while she was out there.
“...It’s me.” Seiichi Aoyama said, his voice a little hoarse.
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
After a while, Nanami's voice came through, carrying a hint of uncertainty and nervousness.
"……dad?"
"Hmm," Seiichi Aoyama responded, then didn't know what else to say.
The father and daughter fell into an awkward silence across the telephone line.
"Um... Dad, it's so late, is there something you need? Is everything... alright at home?" Nanami broke the silence first.
"Everything's fine at home." Seiichi Aoyama cleared his throat and said in his usual somewhat stiff tone, "I... I was watching TV just now."
"……Um."
"That animation... Congratulations."
He spoke those few words with extreme awkwardness, as if he were squeezing them out from between his teeth.
But those few words made Nanami on the other end of the phone hold her breath instantly.
Seiichi Aoyama could hear suppressed, faint sobs coming from the phone.
His heart felt as if it had been violently clenched by something.
“When you’re away from home, take good care of yourself.” He added awkwardly, “Don’t overwork yourself, or you might run out of money…”
"It's enough, Dad!" Nanami's voice, choked with sobs, interrupted him. "I... I can earn my own money now! I'm doing great!"
"That's good."
“Dad…” Nanami’s voice was filled with relief and joy, “Thank you.”
"Why thank me?" Seiichi Aoyama snorted, but his eyes could no longer hold back the tears welling up.
He turned away, not wanting his wife, who was busy in the kitchen, to see him in this embarrassing state.
"That's all, I'm hanging up."
He hurriedly hung up the phone, then roughly wiped his face with the back of his hand.
That stubborn, disobedient little girl.
You've really grown up...
On the other end of the phone, Nanami was holding the receiver, tears already streaming down her face.
All the effort, all the perseverance, all the grievances and misunderstandings.
All of that vanished before her father's clumsy "Congratulations."
She can finally stand tall and tell the world, and also tell her family who love her most.
Choosing to become a voice actress was the best decision she ever made in her life.
……
……
"Ironclad, Rebuild the Foundation!"
Volume 1: Chapter 124: Idolization Project
The official recording of "Beyond the Stars" began a month later.
When Aoyama Nanami stepped into Asuka Film Studio's professional recording studio again, her state of mind was completely different from the last time.
She is no longer the timid "Citizen B" who even breathes cautiously, but stands here rightfully as "Ella," one of the female protagonists.
Several voice actors had already arrived at the recording studio.
Nanami glanced at it, and her heart skipped a beat.
The male lead is voiced by Junichi Kamiya, a recognized powerhouse in the industry, known for his magnetic, youthful voice.
The other female lead's voice actress is Ai Misawa, a top-tier voice actress who has played several nationally renowned roles and is a household name.
The remaining supporting actors are all seasoned veterans who have been working in the industry for many years.
In this star-studded lineup, she, a newcomer, stood out conspicuously.
"Um... Hello everyone, I'm Nanami Aoyama, the voice actress for 'Isla'. I hope you'll all give me your guidance!"
Liao Yiqi Yi'er ba Si Si Ji Qi Hai walked in front of everyone, bowed deeply, and her voice was a little tense because of nervousness.
In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on her, some with curiosity, some with scrutiny.
They had all heard that Shinsuke Takahashi had defied public opinion and chosen a relatively unknown newcomer to play the crucial role of "Isla".
They were all very curious about what kind of magic this girl possessed.