Chapter 116: Getting to Know the Voice Actresses

"Rinon-chan, I’m all packed up and ready. Let’s go! Huh? Why are there so many people here?"

Aso Ai, who had an extraordinarily voluptuous figure despite her petite stature, ran out of the house. Seeing so many people gathered at the courtyard gate, she looked quite bewildered.

"Ai-chan, we just happened to bump into our neighbors, so we’re having a quick chat. Also, Mr. Kitahara happens to be heading out as well. Aren’t you a huge fan of his works and always wished to meet him? Come over and say hello!"

Chida Rinon explained to Aso Ai before pulling her over to her side.

Now, one more pair of eyes was turned toward Kitahara Chiki.

"Haha, I was just about to head to the publishing house to take care of some business. Rina-nee, you’re back?Hello, beautiful young ladies!"

Being stared at by so many women made Kitahara feel a bit embarrassed. He was a somewhat introverted and bashful person by nature. Smiling, he walked toward them and greeted everyone warmly.

"Yes, my sister and I just got back and bumped into Miss Chida and her friends heading out. Kitahara-kun, let me introduce them to you. This is Miss Chida, this quiet girl is Misa-chan, and this lively, cute one is Ai-chan.Word has it that Ai-chan is actually a fan of yours!"

Hayami Rina introduced the neighbor girls to Kitahara Chiki one by one.

Kitahara looked at them and nodded politely.

The girls bowed respectfully in return. In Japan, authors were highly revered, and Kitahara’s status as a writer worked wonderfully in his favor here. All the girls treated him with immense respect.

"Hello, Miss Chida, Misa-chan, and Ai-chan. I moved in a few days ago, but it’s a pleasure to officially meet you all today. It’s an honor to be your neighbors—please take good care of me from now on," Kitahara spoke.

"Hai! Please take good care of us as well, Mr. Kitahara."

"Hai! It’s a great honor to meet you, Mr. Kitahara."

"Kitahara-san, I love your book Listening to the Rain! I’ve also read Watching the Flowers Fall and Listening to the Cicadas multiple times! I never expected us to become neighbors. Kitahara-san, could you give me an autograph?"

"...Sure! If there’s an opportunity, I’ll definitely give you an autograph. Thank you for loving my works, Ai-chan."

The girls greeted Kitahara one by one, and to Kitahara’s surprise, one of them turned out to be a fan of the original body’s past works.

What a coincidence!

Looking at this sweet, youthful-looking girl, Kitahara felt an increasing sense of warmth toward her, much like how he felt when he first met his junior, Yumi. This was likely another case of high initial favorability—the kind of girl who could practically win herself over for him.

"Ah? Can’t you sign it right now?" Ai asked, pretending to look aggrieved.

"Ai-chan, you can’t be like that! Didn’t Mr. Kitahara just say he has important business at the publishing house?You shouldn’t delay him!"

Chida Rinon tugged on Ai’s sleeve to stop her. This girl, Ai, always acted like an innocent child who never grew up, constantly making awkward and ill-timed requests that put others on the spot!

"Haha, I do have some business to handle today, but I will definitely keep my promise to Ai-chan. How about this? Sometime this afternoon or evening, I’ll drop by your place to sign it for you."

Kitahara offered with a bright, welcoming smile.

Hearing this, Ai nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at grain:

"Awesome, Kitahara-san! We should be back around five in the afternoon. I’ll be waiting for you!"

...

Since everyone had places to be, they didn’t chat for long and said their goodbyes after getting acquainted.

Kitahara and the group of young women were heading in different directions, which he found a bit regrettable.Otherwise, they could have chatted a bit more along the way to get to know each other better.

He quite liked the innocent and cute Ai-chan already and was already considering adding her as a girlfriend.Still, he couldn’t deny he was also quite intrigued by Rinon-chan’s gorgeous legs...

...

"Wow, Kitahara-san has such an amazing aura! I feel like he’s super nice and refined. So gentle and elegant—he truly lives up to being a writer! Rinon, Misa-chan, do you guys feel the same way?"

Sunlight spilled over the street, illuminating the figures of the three vibrant, youthful girls.

Ai was like a joyful little bird, skipping ahead of the other two and walking backward while enthusiastically gushing to her companions. Her bright, big eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Yeah, I feel it too. Kitahara-san really has a remarkable presence!" Asumi Misa nodded in agreement.

Chida Rinon also nodded along:

"Indeed. The vibe Kitahara-san gives off reminds me of classic scholars and poets from ancient times. I’ve never met anyone with an aura quite like his."

"Right, right! Especially when he smiles—it’s so captivating that I felt my heart fluttering! But I love it when he’s not smiling too. That quiet, restrained elegance is just impossible to resist~"

"Ai-chan, are you in heat or something?" Chida Rinon teased.

"Yeah! I think I’ve fallen in love with Kitahara-san! How could such a perfect man exist in this world? And what luck that we were destined to meet! He was already my favorite author, and now he happens to be our neighbor. Destiny must be arranging for us to be together!"

Aso Ai’s eyes were filled with longing, her tender cheeks blushing slightly as she spoke.

"No way, Ai-chan, are you serious? Didn’t your dream use to be marrying into a wealthy family? Did you change your mind just like that?" Asumi Misa asked in disbelief.

"A wealthy family isn’t half as charming as Kitahara-san! Besides, Kitahara-san must be pretty rich himself,right? I heard famous writers make a lot of money! Rinon, how much is a house around here worth? For Kitahara-san to buy a house here, his financial situation must be incredible!"

"That’s true. Houses around here average around two hundred million yen each. Ai-chan is right—Kitahara-san definitely isn’t short on money." Chida Rinon agreed.

"See? He can afford a two-hundred-million-yen property, and Kitahara-san is still so young! He’ll definitely build his own prominent family in the future. He already meets all my criteria, haha!"

"But... those two older ladies from earlier clearly have a close relationship with Kitahara-san. Ai-chan, don’t you mind?" Asumi Misa asked hesitantly.

"Why should I mind? Isn’t it totally normal for a talented man to be romantic and play the field? Don’t rich men always have a circle of beauties around them?"

Aso Ai took it for granted.

Aso Ai had always dreamed of marrying into money. Because of this, she had spent a great deal of time and energy studying the lifestyles and romantic affairs of the wealthy. Gradually, she had grown accustomed to such things and accepted the reality deep down.

In her eyes, as long as she could ultimately achieve her dream goal, everything else was secondary. She just wanted to be wealthy.

Deep down, she had long prepared herself to navigate such complex situations.

Now, her only concern was whether Kitahara-san would take a liking to her!