"So, having discussed the persona, let's talk about the specific path. Do you know how to become a seiyuu?"
The black long straight hair girl shook her head.
A JK of this age, let alone a future career, might not even have decided which university to apply to.
Although there are career surveys in Japan, only a minority of students truly know clearly what they want to do in the future.
Most students are still enthusiastic about club activities, or they are thinking about where to hang out after school, what songs to sing at KTV, or what to eat.
They are all fully enjoying their youth, still in a carefree period, with no plans for the future.
Therefore, someone like Akira, whose goals and methods are extremely clear, can be said to be an anomaly among students.
"Let me tell you, generally speaking, if you want to become a seiyuu, you first need to receive training at a specialized school or a seiyuu training institute, and then participate in a seiyuu agency's rookie recruitment. If you're lucky, you'll be registered as an official seiyuu by a seiyuu agency, and then start by voicing minor characters, showcasing your unique qualities, gaining experience, gradually getting important roles, continuing to build your resume, and finally becoming a well-known seiyuu in the industry… The normal seiyuu development path is roughly this process."
"Mm."
The girl listened carefully to the explanation, gaining a basic understanding of her future.
"Then there's a second path, which is to join a theater troupe now, gain experience in the troupe, and then cross over to voice acting. Because acting skills and vocalization methods are honed through live performances in the troupe, it's easier to get started with voice acting, and having a theater background as a stepping stone might help you get important roles faster."
"Mm."
"In short, it's 'absolutely' impossible for an outsider to quickly enter the industry and become a seiyuu."
"Mm… Huh?"
The girl was listening intently, but suddenly realized that when he said 'outsider,' wasn't he referring to her?
"And you're unwilling to show your face, so your appearance, which was an advantage, becomes a disadvantage, a huge obstacle preventing you from becoming a seiyuu."
"Why?!"
"Because sponsors will prefer to choose seiyuu with better appearances to boost product sales, so if you refuse to show your face, people at seiyuu agencies will find your idea wasteful and pretentious."
"…"
The girl fell silent after hearing this. Her willfulness would ruin her career path… Sure enough, this appearance was a curse.
But since she had already made up her mind to achieve something with him, she realized she had to abandon her naivety.
Just as the girl decided to tell Akira that she could accept showing her face, Akira said,
"But it's okay, I've already thought of a solution."
"There's a solution?" "Of course there is. This is also the third path we're going to take. After all, whether it's undergoing training or joining a theater troupe, you need money as a stepping stone. However…"
Akira spread his hands, indicating he had no money.
A runaway girl and a boy living under someone else's roof; together, they couldn't even scrounge up a single yen.
Moreover, the training period for these two routes was too long, and Akira didn't want to waste time.
"So you're going to hone your acting and vocal skills through self-study."
"Self-study, really…?"
"Yes, it's a last resort. After all, we have nothing. People who switch from completely unrelated jobs to the seiyuu industry, the so-called dream chasers, all started by self-studying."
"Hmm…"
It certainly was zero cost, but… could self-study really work?
If everyone could become a seiyuu just by self-studying, then everyone would be a seiyuu, right?
It's precisely because people can't find the way, don't know how to learn, that they need someone to guide them.
But the boy, with an unknown source of confidence, gave the girl a thumbs-up and said,
"Don't worry, I'll tell you what to practice and how to practice. As long as you work hard, you'll soon become a famous seiyuu!"
Although Akira had never been a seiyuu, when he worked on games in his previous life, he had supervised character voice acting, which involved selecting suitable candidates from multiple seiyuu and then listening to their recordings in the studio to see if they were good, providing suggestions for improvement.