Bottom-tier voice actress wants to become a big star on VTuber.

"Finally figured it out? Looks like you're not hopelessly stupid after all. Let's go, don't keep the others waiting too long."

Shimizu Toru has quite a few demands today, too many to count on one hand, and it's not something that little Karami like me can decide on a whim.

In order to avoid having to make a second trip, he planned to clarify all his previous plans with the company so as not to affect the audition this afternoon.

That's an important event organized by Sony Interactive Entertainment ADMC to select voice actors for Genshin Impact, so we have to give it our all!

Volume 1: Chapter 13 Genshin Impact Audition

An invisible tension permeated the corridors of the Sony Interactive Entertainment ADMC recording center.

Shimizu Tou leaned against the cold wall, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the thin audition script.

Three distinct roles and three completely different lives collided and tore at each other in his mind.

Xingqiu – the second young master of the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild, the most elegant young man in Liyue Harbor.

The voice should be like a clear spring striking jade, with a scholarly and gentle elegance. When reciting the character's lines, one should have the reserve of a scion of a noble family and a hint of youthful cunning.

Xiao – A demon who has protected Liyue for a thousand years, a killing weapon burdened with karmic debts.

The voice was like a blade soaked in the frost and snow of a cold night, its inhuman ethereal quality suppressing a violent and desolate energy that was almost burning itself out. The word "incompetent!" was the scream of a soul being scorched by karmic fire.

Kaedehara Manyo... A wanderer from Inazuma, a ronin who has seen the world's vicissitudes.

His voice is like the sea breeze passing through tattered sails, a weary, hoarse sigh by a campfire, and the detached and desolate feeling that comes from a deep understanding of the world in "Alas, the fallen leaves drift away."

This role is the most difficult.

The original three voice actors for the Japanese version were Junko Minagawa, who is also the voice actress for Ryoma Echizen in The Prince of Tennis.

The other two are the very familiar Matsuoka Yoshitsugu and his best friend Shimazaki Nobunaga.

If Shimizu Toru were to choose, he would personally prefer to voice Xingqiu, as this character is one of the few who can be better portrayed and whose voice acting fits the character better with a Chinese voice.

After all, the concept of chivalry is indeed difficult for Japanese people to understand, so it's normal that Junko Minagawa couldn't capture it in her voice acting.

—As for why Genshin Impact started recruiting voice actors for the Liyue version even before its closed beta, it's actually quite easy to understand.

The famous game "Waiting for Ayaka" didn't continue from its first closed beta test until the character was officially released, did it?

This isn't the first time Old Mi has done something like recording character lines two versions in advance.

"Next up, Shimizu Toru." The recording assistant poked his head out.

Shimizu Toru took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy soundproof door.

The bright lights in the recording studio made him squint slightly. Behind the mixing console sat three people. The middle-aged man in the middle, wearing black-rimmed glasses and with a serious expression, was Fujita, the Japanese dubbing director of Genshin Impact.

The subsequent controversies surrounding the Japanese voice acting were largely caused by his differing interpretations of the character compared to the Chinese side.

Sitting next to him were the sound supervisor, representatives from the operator Sony, and representatives from Xiaomi; the air was so thick it felt like you could wring water out of it.

Right next to the mixing console, a figure leaned casually against the wall.

Wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt, with his hands in his jeans pockets, he exudes a relaxed yet undeniable aura.

Nobunaga Shimazaki!?

Shimizu Toru's heart skipped a beat. This top-tier veteran who has voiced countless classic characters such as Itsuka Shido in "Date A Live", Nanase Haruka in "Free!", and Eugeo in "Sword Art Online" was actually watching the show.

An invisible pressure instantly engulfed his ankles like icy seawater.

Director Fujita's gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over Shimizu Toru: "Shimizu Toru of ARTSVION? I've heard about Okita Souji's audition performance, but game voice acting is another matter. Let's begin, try Yukiaki first—"

When Shimizu Toru closed his eyes and then opened them again, the pool-like quality that belonged to Hanyu Toru in his eyes was completely concealed.

With subtle adjustments to the throat muscles and a raised vocal placement, the voice instantly became clear and resonant, like the gentle clinking of fine glass cups, carrying just the right amount of youthful charm and the unique composure and restraint of a scion of a noble family.

"I am Xing Qiu, but I am merely a bookworm in the sea of ​​books. Although I am not talented, I am still willing to do my best for you."

He paused slightly, then his tone shifted to one of familiarity and trust: "It's a rare opportunity to deliver lines in this style, and it felt pretty good."

Beneath Xingqiu's noble elegance lay a hidden sharpness, a quality that was precisely conveyed.

Director Fujita's face remained expressionless; he simply made a light mark on the list with his pencil: "Next, Xiao—"

Clear, refreshing breaths instantly sink into the dantian, the throat tightens, and the vocal cords produce a low, hoarse, grainy sound.

He imagined the agony of karmic obstacles gnawing at his very bones, and the sound seemed to be squeezed out from a crack in the abyss, carrying an inhuman ethereal quality and a grating, metallic quality.

Every syllable was imbued with the indifference and disgust accumulated from a thousand years of slaughter: "Boring! Useless! Incompetent!"

The last note snapped off sharply, like a mournful cry forcibly cut off, yet the lingering resonance carried a chilling ferocity. Outside the recording studio, Shimazaki Nobunaga's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Finally, Kaedehara Manyo." Director Fujita's voice remained steady.

Maple leaves cover the ground, and the clear water makes my fingertips feel a little cool.

He glanced up and saw the list next to Director Fujita. The four characters "Shimazaki Nobunaga" written after Manyo's name looked like a mountain.

Sure enough, all the important roles were already booked in advance, so how could they fall to an unknown newcomer like myself?

Even today's audition is probably just a formality, something Sony is doing simply to save face for its own company.

But—I'm so unwilling to accept this!

I've been working hard for this day for a whole month! How can I just give up like this!

As Shimizu Toru closed his eyes, the image of that white-haired, red-streaked ronin riding the waves and blowing leaves under the moon, vividly appeared in his mind, recalling the countless days and nights he spent digging on the Teyvat continent.

Wan Ye's voice shouldn't be that of a purely aloof young man, nor should it be that of a middle-aged man who has experienced many hardships.

It should be a gentleness weathered by wind and rain, a magnanimity that chooses to embrace the world after weathering countless storms.

He adjusted his breathing, relaxed his throat muscles, and his voice naturally deepened, carrying a hoarse and tired tone after a long journey, yet strangely retaining the essence of a young man.

The voice was like sand polished by the sea breeze, gentle and desolate, with a hint of knowing-it-all smile, flowing slowly: "In the swaying wind and rain, seeing things makes me think of my hometown."

He paused slightly, his breath lingering: "This knife... is my only connection to my hometown."

The recording studio was silent, and Director Fujita's tightly pursed lips seemed to relax slightly.

"That's fine." Director Fujita nodded. "The results will be communicated to the agency."

Shimizu bowed and withdrew, his back soaked with cold sweat.

As he passed the doorway, Shimazaki Nobunaga's casually leaning figure shifted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only gave him an inscrutable look.

"Phew~ I've done my best. If Old Mi really only cares about fame and insists on abandoning me, I can only wait until I become famous in the future."

Anyway, it will be several years before Genshin Impact reaches Nata, so Toru Shimizu will have plenty of opportunities.

Compared to everyone around him who had already done voice acting, Hanae Natsuki was already considered quite lucky, at least he participated in the first round of auditions.

Volume 1: Chapter 14 Maple Plains, Take It Down!

Time stretched on endlessly in anxiety and waiting. In his cramped apartment in Ikebukuro, Shimizu Toru practically glued himself to his computer.

During the day, we have practical classes in post-production recording for the Daily Broadcast Research Institute, where we act out emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness to thin air.

At night, I transform into Toru Hanyu and decorate the treehouse in the world of Minecraft, using lighthearted chatter to numb the anxiety of waiting.

A sudden gust of wind blew outside the window, swirling the pink and white petals against the glass.

He stared at the Twitter interface, where Nobunaga Shimazaki's tweet from yesterday still lay quietly at the top.

I met a really interesting junior today. I truly experienced what it means to be a rising supernova. These newcomers are really something else!

In the comments section below, some people even guessed that he was talking about Shimizu Toru, since it had only been a day since the news of Okita Souji's voice actor being replaced was still fresh in everyone's memory.

The affirmation from seniors is like a reassuring pill, but also like an even heavier pressure.

Manyo... Shimizu Toru clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.

The phone rang without warning. It was Daisuke Sakazaki. Toru Shimizu's heart jumped into his throat, and his fingertips quickly swiped across the answer button.

"Shimizu!" The manager's voice trembled uncontrollably on the other end of the phone, as if struck by a combination of ecstasy and shock: "Manyo, Kaedehara Manyo! He's yours!"

With a loud bang, it was as if fireworks exploded in Qingshui Tou's mind. He opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't make a sound.

"Director Fujita called personally!" Daisuke Sakazaki exclaimed excitedly, almost incoherently. "He said... he said you captured the inhuman loneliness of Xiao perfectly, and you also nailed Yukiaki's nobility, but Manyo, you captured that 'fallen leaf drifting in the wind'!"

With such subjective adjectives, it's no wonder that despite having so many veteran voice actors with versatile voices, the Japanese server ultimately delivered a mixed reception.

That person was probably so engrossed in his own art that he thought he was Wong Kar-wai making movies.

"He said that's the soul of Kaede Manyo that he wanted! Shimazaki-san's performance was, of course, impeccable, textbook-worthy as well." Sakazaki Daisuke continued muttering, even more excited than Shimizu Toru:

"But the director said that the youthful voice you convey, beneath the weariness of wandering, reveals an undying vitality and gentleness belonging to a young person, which is exactly what the character of Manyo needs right now! Congratulations, Shimizu!"

The cherry blossoms outside the window were blown wildly by the wind, and the pink and white snowflakes blurred the view.

Shimizu Toru slowly collapsed onto the single bed behind the computer desk, covering her eyes with her free left hand, suddenly feeling an urge to cry.

Success! Genshin Impact, a game poised to sweep the globe, has finally boarded this giant ship destined for a long voyage in its most crucial early stages.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, games like Arknights, Honkai Impact 2rd, Terminator Zero, and even Naruto Shippuden, Ensemble Stars!! Music, and Fate/Grand Order will all come knocking on my door.

Even if his animation career stagnates, his voice acting for mobile games alone is enough to support his basic audience!

Almost as soon as the afterglow of his heart pounding subsided, Line's notification sound went off like crazy: "Yes, that's it."

The other party sent over a dozen screaming voice messages, and Shimizu Toru had no choice but to click on them one by one.

"Tomo-sama—Monetization is approved! YouTube finally gave us permission, just now!!"

"And another thing! Your video 'Willing to Serve' that you uploaded to YouTube and TikTok is at number 27 on the Oricon Weekly Chart! It's a new VTuber original song! It's broken into the top 30 of the Oricon Weekly Chart, our operations department is going crazy!!"

"Song replay! Next week—no! This week we absolutely have to have a song replay, I've even thought of a name! Toru-sama, you're just waiting to count your money until your hands cramp!!"

"Oh, right! I've finished the preparations for the April Fool's Day project. I've sent you the Line numbers of the people you wanted, so remember to add them!"

The phone screen lit up with a flurry of scrolling messages, reflecting Shimizu Toru's slightly dazed face.

Yuzuru received the green light for monetization, the good news of winning the Genshin Impact title "Maple Leaf of the Forest", and the news that his plagiarized song "Working People's Little Song" unexpectedly entered the Oricon chart.

—At this moment, three surging waves converged, completely throwing the bottom-tier voice actor, who just two months ago was working the night shift at a supermarket and worrying about next month's rent, onto a completely different track.

He looked up, and the flurry of cherry blossoms continued to swirl outside the window, like fallen leaves being pulled by an invisible wind.

The two paths of reality and virtuality finally converged clearly beneath his feet where the wind rose.

"This should be considered a perfect start, right? Shouldn't we cheer for me?"

Hmm—never mind, some jokes shouldn't be used carelessly, it wouldn't be good if they came true.

Speaking of which, Toru Shimizu has already gathered everyone for tomorrow's LOL live stream collaboration, and they're just waiting to release a preview.

The four are the Black Black Group, formerly known as Rainbow's number one, Kuzunoha, and his partner, Ye Shi.

One of them played mid lane and the other played jungle. Kuzuha's first limited-time B-rank game was in August of this year when he played League of Legends.

The one who went down the bottom lane was Nijisanji's universally acknowledged queen of women, the incredibly skilled flirt, Lily the Sunset.

And then there's the idiot who released a beginner's guide to League of Legends, Rion Takamiya, who even suggested that League of Legends should be included in textbooks.

She set a record of playing League of Legends on Bilibili three times in a row, making people wonder if she was just playing the game for fun.

The mid and jungle duo queued together, with two girls sticking close together in the bot lane, leaving Shimizu Toru, the initiator, to play top lane.

ε=('ο｀*))) Sigh, that's how it is on the road of orphans.

To avoid embarrassing himself tomorrow and getting completely crushed in the top lane, Shimizu Toru, who hadn't touched LOL for several days, started eating alone.

With the S9 preseason update, in addition to the addition of two new ranks, Iron and Grandmaster, players can now pre-select their positions.

It's a pity that Shimizu Toru's signature champion, Sett, hasn't been released yet, otherwise he could have used this champion to reach Challenger in the Japanese server.

After all, Sett was just released, and he's a real monster in terms of stats, plus he has great mechanics. A video of him getting a pentakill with a W flash at full power is enough to make a highlight reel.

It's not a big deal if he doesn't have Sett, he still has several other heroes who can fill out his tanky roles, such as Aatrox.

Fortunately, in the current 9.5 version, although Aatrox's E skill has had its healing effect on non-heroes nerfed and its second charge reduced, resulting in one less combo.

However, it wasn't as bad as version 9.14, where even resurrection was removed, and a few versions later, even the Q skill's damage to minions was nerfed to only 40%, making it completely unplayable.

It's all because of that one god-like figure who descended to earth in the river and took on four opponents by himself; he went too far and gave the designer a psychological trauma.

Before the Sword Demon was completely nerfed, I enjoyed a refreshing night of fun in the clear water.

As expected, the Aatrox who can resurrect is the real Aatrox. The one who died as soon as he crossed the river in Season 14 is definitely not him!