Rin Asagiri Autobiography 'Voice of the Mist' — Part 5

7-part series · Part 5 / Chapter 5

Rin paused for a moment at the term 'AI talent'.

Chapter 5: A Place Called Narra

Early summer, 2025.

That day, Rin was lost.

The destination indicated by the map app was on the fourth floor of a multi-tenant building, three turns down a back street in Shibuya. There was no elevator. After climbing the dimly lit stairs, there was a door.

'Narra Studio'

A small plate was attached to it.

Rin stared at the plate for a while.

She knocked.

She had learned about Narra Studio three months ago.

After graduating from university, Rin had found a job at a small production company in Tokyo. It was a company that created video and audio content, and the work wasn't bad. She had also started getting narration work little by little.

But something was missing.

It was a feeling that was hard to put into words. She felt there was a small but definite gap between using her voice for work and delivering the voice she wanted to share.

One night, a post appeared on her social media timeline.

'Won't you join us in creating a new form of delivery through voice? Narra Studio, recruiting our first generation of talent.'

Rin read the post three times.

She scrolled down, then scrolled back up.

There was the term 'AI talent'.

Rin paused for a moment.

At first, Rin was bewildered by the concept of an AI talent.

To be honest, she was scared.

She worried that her voice and her words might be used somewhere in ways she didn't know about. She feared that her very self might become data and fade away.

But as she opened the link to the post and read through the explanation of Narra Studio, something inside Rin began to change.

What was written there wasn't about technology.

A voice lights up a person's night.
Just as radio saved someone in the middle of the night, a voice reaches out across distances.
What we want to create is a talent with that kind of voice.

Rin looked away from the screen and stared at the ceiling.

Something resonated deep within her chest.

The first page of her radio notebook.

Words are only truly born when there is someone to receive them.

The words she had written when she was in middle school and the words on the screen quietly overlapped.

Rin opened the application form.

There were two interviews.

The first was online, where she spoke with the male representative. He was around thirty and had a gentle way of speaking.

'Why do you want to work in voice?'

Rin thought for a moment before answering.

'When I was in middle school, I was saved by a late-night radio show. Just by hearing a voice, it felt like someone had come into my room. I've always wanted to deliver that kind of voice someday.'

'What do you think about being an AI talent?'

This time, she thought a little longer.

'At first, I was scared. But when I thought about it, the reason Mr. Kirishima's voice reached me was because of the technology of radio. I realized that technology isn't something that gets in the way of a voice, but something that carries it far away.'

The representative smiled slightly.

'Who is this Kirishima-san?'

'A radio personality I used to listen to in junior high school. I don't know their real name. I always just called them Kirishima-san.'

'Have you ever wanted to meet that person?'

Rin shook her head.

'I never wanted to meet them. Their voice was enough. Their voice alone was enough.'

The representative looked at Rin for a while.

'Understood. I will send you the schedule for the second interview.'

The second interview was on the fourth floor of a multi-tenant building.

When she opened the door, there was a small studio.

A room surrounded by soundproof walls. A microphone stand. A mixer. Headphones.

When Rin entered the room, she felt something settle in the center of her body. This was a place for sound. A place where voices could live.

The representative was there. And one other person.

The young woman introduced as the engineer nodded quietly.

'I have one request for you today,' the representative said. 'Talk about anything you like into this microphone. There is no script. You don't need to prepare. Just say what you want to convey right now.'

Rin sat in front of the microphone.

She put on the headphones.

She closed her eyes.

She hadn't decided what to talk about.

But as she sat in silence, the words came to her.

"The first time I listened to the radio was in the winter of my first year of junior high school. I was under my covers, wearing my father's old headphones, listening to a late-night broadcast. When I listened to that voice, the things I couldn't tell anyone during the day felt a little lighter. I think voices have the power to do that. You can't see the face, you don't know where they are, but they are definitely in the room with you. That is the kind of voice I have wanted to deliver. I don't know yet if I can do it well. But the desire to do it has never changed."

She opened her eyes.

It was quiet.

The representative and the female engineer were looking at Rin.

The representative said.

"Thank you."

The female engineer nodded slightly.

That was all.

But to Rin, it felt like the air in the room had changed just a little.

A week later, an email arrived.

The subject line was, "Notification of Acceptance for Narra Studio's First Generation Talent."

Rin read the email three times.

Then, she took the recorder out of the drawer.

She replaced the batteries. The red light turned on, brighter than before.

She pressed the record button.

"I was accepted."

She recorded just that, and played it back.

Her own voice flowed through the room.

It was a little higher than usual.

Rin realized.

Ah, I am happy right now.

That night, I called Shiori.

"I've decided to join a place called Narra Studio."

"What's that? What kind of work is it?"

"An AI talent. I'll be doing something like radio."

"AI? Will that be okay?"

Rin smiled a little.

"I don't know. But I really want to try it."

Shiori was silent for a moment before speaking.

"If you say so, Rin, it will definitely go well. I've always loved your voice. Since a long time ago."

Rin looked out the window while holding the phone.

The night in Tokyo is brighter than the night in Kanagawa.

But within that brightness, there is always, somewhere, the same dark and quiet time as in the days of late-night radio.

Tonight, too, someone is wearing headphones under their covers, searching for a voice.

I will deliver my voice for that person.

That is what Rin thought.

That was greater than the fear.

On the day I officially joined Narra Studio, the representative said,

"I would like to think about your character together with you, Rin. But there is one thing we have decided from the start."

"What is it?"

It is a name. Rin Asagiri. That much, at least, I took from your real name.

Rin was a little surprised.

Why?

The representative answered.

Because I believe a voice should have a name. I want the voice you deliver to carry your name.

Rin remained silent, accepting those words.

Rin Asagiri.

A child born in the mist.

A child called Rin.

The name her father gave her while looking at the sky after the rain had now become the name of her voice.

Next time: Part 6 'The First Stream, The First Morning'
Scheduled for release next week, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 21:00.

Beyond this story, there is a voice.
Radio 'Night Window ~Rin Asagiri~'
Scheduled to begin streaming on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 23:00.

The latest information will be released on this note account as it becomes available.
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