Another day, another living hell, well maybe if today goes well it won't be as hell-ish as most days. Oh, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Nishizawa Saki, 18 years old, a high school senior at Namimori High, and an anime seiyuu in the making.

I have long wavy brown hair, honey colored eyes and I'm kinda fun sized (because being called short is an insult). Some people may find me cute or pretty because of my pale skin, natural rosy cheeks and perfect mixture of childish and lady-like personality.

So maybe you're wondering what a seiyuu is, basically its voice acting. Providing my voice to give life, personality and attitude to anime characters. And I know what you're thinking, why choose voice acting? You have a pretty face, you can easily snag a role and be acting in front of the camera instead of acting behind the scenes. Well my reason is besides the fact that I'm a proud otaku, I just love discovering what else I can do to manipulate my voice that my vocal range is still expanding. And also I just also need a way to release all of these voices I keep coming up before I vocally explode.

Oh, I got to go. I'm on my way to Vongola Entertainment to audition for whatever role I can land on. I'm not gonna be picky, after all I'm still just starting out in the business. So wish me luck.

When I got to Vongola Entertainment I was in for the shock of my life, I didn't know there would be so many people auditioning to become a seiyuu.

'Okay Saki, breathe in breathe out. You got this, you have one hell of a vocal range, you can get in even if it's a minor role because YOU. ARE AWESOME.'

After giving myself a pep talk I felt confidence and adrenaline course through my body. Then an employee went and gathered us to bring us the studio where they record. We were told that the anime that's was currently in production and that we were gonna be auditioning for was called "Sword Art Online". I almost freaked out right on the spot because I just finished reading the novel and I loved it. I fell in love with the story and I felt a connection with Asuna, the female protagonist of the story. Because she wasn't the type of female leads that constantly needs saving. She is a strong-willed, independent woman that can actually be relied on by Kirito (the male lead of the story), and a total badass fighter.

I knew that chances of getting the role of Asuna were one in whatever number of other aspiring seiyuus are in this room with me. Even if I don't get cast as Asuna, I just want to be part of this project because nothing is more fulfilling for me than for my first project to be something that I know and I believe that I can execute whatever is needed of me to do.

I'm becoming extremely jumpy and my heart and soul felt restless. I was still waiting for my turn to read for the different roles, and of course one of them is Asuna.

Finally my name was called and I was brought inside a recording booth, and let me tell you everything inside the booth screamed EXPENSIVE. First I noticed was every bit of technology inside were all custom made by Vongola Tech. Like the microphone and headphones itself cost more than my own life. Then outside of the booth is where the director and producers of SAO are. Separating us is the giant plexiglass window, and I somehow felt like a panda in a zoo. I was given the scripts of Asuna, Silica, Lisbeth and Suguha, these were the characters that I chose to audition for, and I noticed that there are English and Japanese lines and dialogues. Through the headphones the director and producers first interviewed me. I think that they thought I don't know what SAO was so I surprised all of them on my knowledge of the story and I felt like they were impressed with me. And now the fun and nerve-wrecking part begins.

I was only waiting for the heads up from the director for when I can start my reading. Suddenly the door burst open and lo and behold it was the author of SAO himself, Kawahara Reki. The director seemed to have forgotten to stop pressing the button that made me hear their conversation.

"So Kawahara-san what are you doing here?" the director asked.

"I just want to be part of the panel of judges that get to have a say on who will bring life to the characters I created" Kawahara-san said with a smile.

'Holy freaking Mavis Vermillion! IT'S REKI KAWAHARA AND HE'S GONNA JUDGE MY AUDITION! Alright Nishizawa pull your shit together. Calm down and give him a great first impression. Remember, YOU. ARE. AWESOME.'

After giving myself my second self-provided pep talk, I calmed down and then I heard the producers talking about me to Kawahara-san.

"She's quite knowledgeable about SAO and I can see dedication in her, though we still yet hear her voice out any of her chosen characters to audition for."

With that statement Kawahara-san smiled at me and I smiled back. And then he took the microphone,

"Nishizawa-san, are you ready to read now for your chosen characters to audition for?" he asked me.

I nodded and proceeded to read the Japanese lines for Asuna first. I have no idea what my throat and vocal chords were doing. It felt like they were settling themselves to whatever voice they deemed worthy of Asuna by using my imagination.

'Whoa. I'm thinking that my vocal chords have a mind of its own and it sounds crazy to me. And I'm the one that thought of it. Its official, I need to cut back on the anime a little.'

As I read Asuna's lines I heard the director through the headphones cut me off.

"Nishizawa-san, you are amazing."

Okay just hearing that makes me want to do a happy dance right then and there.

"But," the director continued.

Oh crap buts almost always never mean anything good.

"We seem to hear that your pronunciation of the English words is quite flawless."

Wait. What?

"Can you now please read the English lines?"

Too shocked to speak at the moment, I just nodded and forced myself to relax. I glanced outside of the booth, my eyes landed straight on Kawahara-san and he looked like he was pleased and gave me an encouraging smile. And that was what I need to have a surge of confidence.

And I know you're wondering why the hell I have "flawless pronunciation" of English. It's because when I was younger I used to live in the US before settling back down here in Japan. And while in the US I still spoke in Japanese inside our household so that I still know how to speak English and Japanese fluently. And not that I'm bragging, I'm also fluent in a few other languages.

Once again, I was cut off but this time it was Kawahara-san.

"I think we've heard enough, thank you. Please stay inside the booth for a moment." He said with a poker face.

This time I couldn't hear what they were talking about. Sometimes they would gesture at me in the middle of their conversation and that could mean anything.

'Oh bloody hell. Did they hate it? Will I never get to work in this industry ever? They didn't even let me read for the other characters I chose to audition for. Well looks like I'm just another teenager with a dream crushed before her eyes.'

As I was internally beating myself up Kawahara-san spoke up again in my headphones.

"Looks like we found our Asuna for the Japanese and English dub" he said with a proud bright smile.

I felt like I could faint right at that moment. As I exited the recording booth. I shook hands with the producers and director, all of them saying that they can't wait to work with me. Then I shook hands with Kawahara-san.

"Just as the first word left your mouth in both Japanese and English, I just knew that there is nobody out there that can be Asuna except for you."

When Kawahara-san said those words, I felt extremely happy. To be personally chosen by the author himself is an honor on its own.

"I won't let any of you down." I said to all of them. The smile all of them gave me was like a smile a proud parent would give to his own child.

As I returned to the studio some of the "friendly" people asked me what happened in my audition because they saw Kawahara Reki stepped inside the recording booth. They looked so smug like they know that I won't even get a call back because of my inexperience and they just want to hear straight from my mouth about my so-called rejection.

I smiled at them as wide and as bright as possible then I screamed at the top of my lungs,

"I GOT CASTED AS ASUNA FOR BOTH JAPANESE AND ENGLISH! KAWAHARA-SAN PERSONALLY CHOSE ME!"

I received mixed reactions from the other people who were there to audition too. Some were genuinely happy for me. Some were disappointed because the female lead role was already taken. But the best reactions I got were from the "friendly" group. They looked so flabbergasted. That they couldn't believe a newbie in the industry got the lead role of a surely successful anime for both English and Japanese dubs.

Let me take back what I said earlier, this doesn't feel like hell. For all I know I could be in heaven right now.