r18novel Page 121
Page 121
A huge spotlight descended from the sky and enveloped her precisely.
The world seemed to be muted at that moment; she could only hear the sound of her own heart pounding.
Somewhat dazed, she stood up and, amidst the embraces and blessings of Ms. Yamamoto and her seniors, walked step by step toward the stage that symbolized the highest honor in the industry.
This road is both short and long.
Countless images flashed through her mind.
My first impression of myself upon arriving in Tokyo, dragging my suitcase; my practice of standard Mandarin in my cramped apartment, listening to Torajiro; my despair and tears after failing my audition; my ecstatic joy upon receiving my first 5,000 yen payment…
And then there's the mysterious "Mr. X," who always kept a light on for her in the darkness.
She stood in the center of the stage, receiving the heavy crystal trophy from the presenter. It was cool to the touch, yet seemed to carry a burning warmth.
She walked to the microphone, looked at the countless bright eyes below the stage, and bowed deeply.
"Good evening, esteemed judges and seniors. I am Aoyama Nanami."
Her voice, transmitted clearly through the speakers, reached every corner of the venue.
"I feel extremely honored and humbled to receive this award."
"I am well aware that I still have many shortcomings. This trophy is more of an encouragement to me."
She thanked the production teams of "Beyond the Stars" and "The Sinking Cry" in turn, director Shinsuke Takahashi who discovered her, her manager Ms. Yamamoto who never abandoned her, and her seniors who gave her countless help in the recording studio.
Then, she paused, her gaze softening and becoming distant.
"Finally, I would like to give special thanks to one person."
"I don't know his name or where he is. All I know is that when I was most confused, in the most pain, and even wanted to give up, it was he who pulled me back from the edge of the abyss time and time again."
The audience fell silent instantly, everyone's curiosity piqued by her words.
"He taught me how to understand a character and how to find my own soul in a voice. He was like a lighthouse, guiding my lost little boat to the right direction."
"I usually call him 'Mr. X'."
"Half of the glory of this award belongs to you."
"Really, thank you so much!"
She bowed deeply again, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
The applause from the audience erupted once again, more enthusiastic than ever before.
People whispered among themselves, speculating about the identity of this mysterious "Mr. X".
……
In the hospital room, Yuto Itsuki leaned against the headboard, the awards ceremony being broadcast live on his tablet screen.
When he saw Nanami lift the trophy and say those words under the spotlight, a relieved smile slowly spread across his pale face.
She did it.
She truly became that unique, most dazzling star.
Just then, a sharp, excruciating pain, as if it were tearing his internal organs apart, suddenly shot through his chest.
He groaned, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
He instinctively covered his chest, curled up, and clenched his teeth to prevent himself from making any sound.
On the screen, the girl's smile was radiant and dazzling.
Off-screen, the boy's figure was silently swallowed by pain in the shadow of the hospital bed.
……
Osaka, the living room of the Aoyama family.
Seiichi Aoyama stared intently at the television screen. The moment his daughter's name was read out, the eyes of this usually serious and rigid man instantly reddened.
When he heard his daughter thank the mysterious "Mr. X", he was taken aback at first, and then a complex emotion welled up in his heart.
He picked up a tissue and awkwardly wiped his eyes, muttering, "Silly girl...you've suffered so much out there..."
This father, who was not good with words, felt incomparably proud of his daughter's achievements at this moment, and was also deeply moved by her kindness and gratitude.
……
After the awards ceremony, Nanami declined all invitations to the celebration banquet and returned alone to her new apartment in Meguro Ward.
She carefully placed the crystal-clear trophy in the most conspicuous spot on the bookshelf, right next to the spotless trophy from the school competition.
She gazed at it for a long time, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Joy, excitement, pride... all these emotions intertwined and ultimately turned into an indescribable emptiness.
She received the honor that every new voice actress dreams of, but the person she most wanted to share it with didn't even know where she was.
……
That night, the name Aoyama Nanami, along with the mysterious "Mr. X," became the hottest topic in the entire industry.
For Nanami herself, who is now showered with glory, her inner pursuit has only just begun.
The uproar and waves stirred up by the Voice Actor Awards have finally subsided after several weeks.
Aoyama Nanami's life has also returned from the vortex of being surrounded by flashing lights and interviews to the peaceful daily routine of going back and forth between the recording studio and the apartment.
However, this tranquility is different from before.
As she walks down the street, she gets recognized by more people, and when they ask for her autograph, they address her as "Miss Nanami" instead of "Isla's voice actress".
The scripts handed out by talent agencies are no longer limited to animation, radio dramas, games, and even invitations to narrate documentaries are pouring in.
She had unprecedented choices.
However, the higher one stands, the clearer a certain obsession becomes.
Whenever she is alone in her empty apartment late at night, looking at the trophy on the bookshelf that symbolizes the "pinnacle of newcomers," a strong impulse seizes her.
She must find Mr. X.
This has nothing to do with repaying a debt of gratitude; it's more like a kind of... confirmation.
She wanted to thank him in person, to let him see how she looked now, to... confirm that he was real, and not just a fantasy from her difficult times.
Once this idea takes root, it grows wildly and becomes uncontrollable.
One weekend afternoon, Nanami had no work scheduled.
She drew the curtains, shutting herself out from the noise of the outside world.
She solemnly took out a wooden box from a drawer in the study.
Inside the box were all her "connections" with Mr. X.
A screenshot of a printed email, containing a link to the audio file that rekindled her fighting spirit.
A brown paper bag contained the script for "Citizen B" from the mobile game "Mobile Suit Gundam V," the book that changed her life.
Several thin sticky notes, on which Mr. X wrote encouraging words in printed font.
She laid these things out on the table one by one, like a detective beginning her belated investigation.
She put on the white gloves she had bought from the stationery store and picked up the email screenshot first.
The sender's email address was a string of meaningless gibberish, ending with an anonymous email domain that had long since ceased service. This was clearly intentional and untraceable.
She tried to analyze the email's sending time: 3:17 AM.
A time when most people are asleep.
The sender's IP address went through multiple hops before finally pointing to a public server located in Northern Europe.
The trail went cold from the very beginning.
Undeterred, she picked up the brown paper bag again.
This is the first and only physical package that Mr. X sent.
She carefully examined the mailing information on it.
In the sender's address field, only a post office code located in Musashino City, Tokyo was filled in, while the name field was left blank.
She focused her attention on the postmark.
The ink on the postmark was a little blurry, but upon closer inspection, the words "Musashino Central Post Office - Night Window" could still be clearly seen.
A window at night?
Nanami frowned slightly.
Why send packages at the night window? Is it to avoid daytime surveillance, or simply because of the sender's schedule?
She took out her phone and searched for information about "Musashino Central Post Office".
It was a large post office that was open 24 hours a day, and the volume of business at the night window was not small.
Trying to find someone here is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Her gaze finally settled on those sticky notes.
Become a unique star.
Find your own soul within that sound.
The text was printed out in standard Song typeface, without any personal style.
The paper used is the most common type of sticky note on the market, with nothing special about it.
Nanami examined these things thoroughly, but still couldn't find any clues that pointed to a specific identity.
The other party was frighteningly meticulous, having almost completely erased any trace that might expose them.
A deep sense of powerlessness washed over me.
She scratched her hair in frustration, then leaned back dejectedly, the swivel chair creaking as it did so.
She casually picked up the tiger-shaped plush pillow "Torajiro" next to her and buried her face in it.
"Torajiro...am I really stupid? I've been looking for ages and haven't found anything..."
"He was like a ghost; he existed, yet you couldn't grasp even a trace of him."
She muttered to herself in a low voice, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
Just when she was about to give up, a detail she had overlooked suddenly popped into her mind.
That audio file!
She sat up abruptly, quickly turned on her computer, and found the audio file she had named "Hope".
She plugged in her headphones and once again immersed herself in those familiar sounds.
From her initial naive aspirations upon arriving in Tokyo, to her self-encouragement after setbacks, and then to her elation after making small progress... these voices record the initial trajectory of her voice acting career.
In the past, she only focused on drawing strength from it, but never considered one question—
Where were these recordings made?
In the background of the audio, there were faint electrical sounds, the sound of traffic coming from the distant street, and... the rustling sound of her turning pages as she practiced her lines.
The sound recording quality is very high, which is obviously not something that can be achieved with a regular mobile phone.
Most importantly, these sounds cover her state in different locations and at different times.
Some were in her apartment, some in the practice room of the voice acting school, and some were even in the kitchen of the coffee shop where she worked, quietly reciting her lines.
A terrible thought struck her like lightning.
There is only one possibility to achieve all of this.
Mr. X was always by her side.
Or rather, he had been "monitoring" her in some way she was unaware of.
This realization sent a shiver down her spine, and a chill ran down her spine.
This is no longer a heartwarming story of a guardian; instead, it takes on a touch of horror.
But soon she shook her head, dismissing the idea.
Mr. X always appeared when she needed help the most.