When it was finally Shizuka Sakaki's turn, the atmosphere outside the interview room had already become tense. The previous candidates had all walked out looking utterly defeated, and seeing that made the final applicant start worrying about how difficult this interview might actually be.
Shizuka Sakaki, twenty years old, had entered a voice acting training academy right after graduating from high school. For two full years she studied diligently, learning everything related to becoming a voice actress.
She had successfully graduated from the training program, but unfortunately she had not yet signed with any professional talent agency. On top of that, she still needed to attend a specialized voice acting workshop every week to continue improving her skills. Because of this, she had no choice but to look for part-time work to support herself.
Originally, she had planned to take a job at an izakaya. But last night, the agency suddenly called and told her that a detective agency had taken interest in her résumé and invited her to attend an interview today.
As someone who casually enjoyed crime dramas, Shizuka Sakaki actually found the profession of detective quite fascinating.
She figured that working in such a unique place might allow her to see and learn interesting things—experiences that could even help her voice acting in the future. With that thought in mind, she decided to come to the interview.
However, the results of the previous candidates did not seem promising.
The first girl who walked out—the pink-haired one—looked so devastated that she could barely walk straight. The others who followed all came out with expressions of disbelief, as if they were questioning their entire life choices. It was impossible to imagine what kind of interrogation they had faced inside the meeting room.
Watching several full-time applicants fall one after another made even Shizuka Sakaki, who had come here simply hoping for a part-time job, grow nervous.
"Relax… relax… It's just a simple interview. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just treat it like an audition…"
She tried to comfort herself in her mind.
Unfortunately, imagining the scene as an audition only made her even more uneasy.
Not long ago, she had participated in an actual audition. The result had been disastrous—she was completely crushed by professional voice actresses, leaving no trace of her confidence behind. On top of that, her own nervous performance had made her look like nothing more than cannon fodder.
When she finally stepped into the meeting room, she saw that the interviewer was an exceptionally young man.
He's so young… He looks about my age. Yet he already opened a detective agency in Tokyo. He must be someone very capable.
And his eyes… they're so sharp. It feels like I'm being watched by an eagle.
Under Jiang Hang's gaze, Shizuka Sakaki immediately felt restless and uneasy.
Meanwhile, Jiang Hang had already activated Eagle Vision.
Sure enough, he noticed a faint red glow around Shizuka Sakaki. The glow was even thinner than the one surrounding Yoshino Koharu—let alone the bright aura emitted by the members of the Detective Boys.
So characters who play major roles in anime appear red under Eagle Vision… Perhaps the intensity depends on how important they are in the story.
While Jiang Hang was quietly thinking this over, Shizuka Sakaki began her self-introduction in the strangely quiet room.
However, she looked even more nervous than Yoshino Koharu had been earlier. From the way she spoke, it almost felt like she had mistaken this place for an audition room.
To ease her tension, Jiang Hang spoke gently.
"I saw on your résumé that you want to become a voice actress."
"Y-Yes! That's my dream!"
Realizing she was still in an interview, Shizuka Sakaki hurried to add,
"Of course, I will take my job seriously. Any personal matters will wait until after work hours."
Jiang Hang waved his hand dismissively.
He honestly didn't mind. Most of the time he would probably not even be in the office. As long as there were no clients visiting, it wouldn't matter if she practiced voice acting at the agency while he was away.
And even if he happened to be there, he probably wouldn't mind if she practiced things like… certain expressive vocal exercises.
Cough.
Of course, there was no need to say that out loud. Straightening his thoughts, Jiang Hang continued.
"I've heard that people who become voice actors are practically monsters. You should be able to control your voice freely, right?"
"Ah…?"
Shizuka Sakaki felt this interview was starting to diverge from what she had imagined, but she answered honestly.
"I can't do that yet. I've heard that some very skilled voice actors can, though. Generally speaking, what voice actors need most is a distinctive voice…"
Jiang Hang nodded.
That made sense. As long as a voice actor had a recognizable voice, surviving in the industry wouldn't be difficult. The kind of professionals who could switch between dozens of voice types were probably rare even within the voice acting world.
Then Jiang Hang suddenly thought of something.
"Oh right. Do you know Kaito Kid?"
"Kaito… Kid?"
Shizuka Sakaki blinked in confusion.
"Oh! You mean that urban legend that's been circulating recently? The thief who sends a notice before stealing something? He sounds pretty amazing."
"To be precise, Kaito Kid isn't an urban legend."
Jiang Hang smiled slightly.
"But he really is impressive. If there's a chance someday, I might even take you to watch how he commits a heist."
"Using magic tricks to steal priceless gems, combined with incredible disguise techniques… and voice mimicry that allows him to imitate different voices perfectly without any tools."
Jiang Hang paused and looked at her.
"I thought voice actors might be capable of that sort of thing. If you could reach that level, you'd definitely be considered a remarkable voice actress."
"Voice mimicry… Kaito Kid…"
Although she still seemed skeptical about Jiang Hang's description, she memorized the name. For someone who dreamed of becoming a voice actress, such an ability was incredibly appealing.
Before she knew it, she was already imagining Jiang Hang taking her to watch Kaito Kid perform one of his legendary heists.
Of course, such things were still far beyond Jiang Hang's current abilities.
Seeing Shizuka Sakaki drifting into her own fantasies, he quickly called her back to reality and returned the conversation to the topic of the assistant position.
Just like he had done earlier with Yoshino Koharu, Jiang Hang carefully explained the possible dangers of working as his assistant—encountering murder scenes, dangerous criminals, and unpredictable investigations. He wanted her to understand the risks before making a decision.
If she was unwilling or unable to adapt, he would not force her.
As expected, although Shizuka Sakaki was clearly frightened by what Jiang Hang described, she still nodded in the end.
She was willing to give the challenge a try.
And so, on this day, Jiang Hang successfully recruited two anime characters he had liked even before transmigrating to become his assistant and his office aide.
At that moment, Jiang Hang felt as if his life had reached its absolute peak.