Author's Note: Hey, everyone! This is the sequel to my companion one-shots Bro Friends and How Are We Related? You don't need to read either of those to enjoy this story, but I still suggest doing so anyway so that you know who everyone is and how their relationships currently work. And if you don't, well it's not going to hurt you.

Happy reading!

- Fantastical

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Vocaloid. Each character used belongs to the respective company that produced him/her; I merely borrowed them for non-profit entertainment purposes. However, I do claim ownership to the cover art and words below. Please enjoy.

The friends stood about a yard apart, both holding a handful of popcorn. Taking turns, one would toss a popped kernel at the other who, in response, tried to catch the snack in an opened mouth. One of the friends was a girl with knee length turquoise hair tied into two tails, dressed in ripped jeans and an oversized Pikachu T-shirt, and making rude comments to the other friend whenever he missed.

"My grandma could do better than you," the girl said, "and she's dead!"

"Screw you and your dead grandmother," the other friend retorted. He had shaggy dark blond hair and piercing gold eyes, and he wore black jeans and a button-up dark blue shirt. When he tossed his popcorn at his friend and she missed, he said, "If you're going to talk big, better make sure you can walk your talk."

"Whatever." Miku tossed her popcorn straight up in the air and caught it in her mouth. "By the way," she said, chewing, "Erin Kagamine transferred to my poetry class. Apparently, she was not liking art as much as she hoped."

"Can't blame her." Nero began tossing his popcorn pieces into his own mouth. "Ms. Prima is a great woman, but a terrible art teacher. I don't care that she hates anime art style – which, by the way, is something you don't tell a student who got into art because he liked the style of Dragon Ball Z-"

"Don't you mean Sailor Moon?" Miku snorted, but Nero kept speaking as if she hadn't.

"-but isn't the point of art to express oneself? To let young, aspiring artists develop their own style instead of trying to suck away their aspirations and creativity?"

"You forget we're in high school." Miku shook her head. "Besides, I don't think Erin transferred out of art because she likes to draw anime."

"Whatever the case, she's in your poetry class now." Picking up another handful of popcorn, Nero chewed carefully before saying, "Allen actually transferred to my bio lab last month. Ever since Dell started ditching, Allen and I have been partnering up."

Miku's eyes lit up as if a switch was flipped inside her head. She began speaking rapidly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Have you been getting to know him? Does he think of you as his friend? Has he said anything about me? Nero, you know I have a massive crush on him."

"Geez, calm down, woman." Nero held his hands out with his palms facing Miku, telling her without words to stop. "I know how much you like him, that's why I haven't said anything until now." Miku looked as if she were about to give a Nero a piece of her mind for not telling her that he was lab partners with her crush, but Nero held his hands out again to encourage her to let him finish talking. It worked. "You wanted to take a break from relationships, didn't you?"

"Stalking someone and learning everything you can about him from a reliable source is not the same as being in a relationship, Nero." Miku rolled her eyes. "'Sides, there's always a chance I'll get over my crush the more I learn about him. You know how shallow my feelings are – he and I have never had a conversation!"

"Which is exactly why I wanted to keep quiet." Nero shook his head. "I should have kept my big mouth shut."

"But I enticed you with Erin, didn't I?" Miku bated her eyes. "I know you like her."

"I am enticed by no woman, Miku-I'm-Six," Nero claimed, but Miku instantly replied with, "All I have to get you to do whatever I want is make you macaroni and cheese."

"That's different, bro." Nero waggled a finger. "It's not you who entices me, but the mac and cheese."

Rolling her eyes, Miku mumbled, "You're unbearable."

Without another word, the two returned to tossing popcorn into the other's mouth. Five minutes later, Nero snapped his head upright and exclaimed, "I have an- OW!"

"That's what happens when you move your big head after I already threw the popcorn," Miku said without sympathy. "Of course you're going to get hit in the eye if you move like that."

As he watched Miku eat popcorn from the palm of her hand, Nero said, "I just was going to tell you that I have an idea. You like Allen, right?"

"Uh, yeah, Captain Duh. Weren't you listening to me just a few minutes ago? Or better yet, the past month?"

"Shut up. Anyway, I like Erin. Allen is in my lab, and Erin is in your poetry class."

Miku retrieved more popcorn from the now almost empty bowl. "Your point being?"

"I think it's pretty obvious, idiot." Dodging the popcorn Miku threw at him, Nero continued, "I don't see why you can't befriend Erin while I befriend Allen. We can find out whatever we can of our respective twin for each other, and as bros till death due us part, we can determine if the other's respective crush is a suitable match."

"Hmmm." Miku tapped her chin. "That has the best idea you had in ages."

"Thanks, I try."

"But . . ." Miku hummed. "Never mind. I can't find any cons. We know each other better than we know ourselves – if anyone knows the type of guy I need, it will be you."

"And you know the kind of girl that will tame this ferocious beast." Nero mock roared.

"Ugh." Miku shook her head. "You're disgusting."

"You know you love me, Miku."

Shaking her head, Miku said, "I'll make you some mac and cheese if you promise to never speak like that around me again."

There was no hesitation for Nero to ponder the offer. "Deal!"

Rapidly tapping her pencil against her desk, Miku kept glancing at the door every time she saw through her peripheral vision someone entering the room. Still no sign of Erin. Miku bit back her irritated sigh. How was she supposed to befriend Erin when the girl didn't even bother to show up to class on time? If Nero was going to spill any info on Allen, she needed something to say about Erin as payment.

It was a relief when Erin walked through the door, teacher still absent. The blonde sat one row down and one to the right from Miku, so it wouldn't appear too awkward if Miku decided to start talking to her. Of course, Miku still needed something to talk about.

When she found something, Miku quickly said, "Hey, Erin. I like your shirt."

A sneer appeared on Erin's face. She then looked down at her Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, looked back at Miku, and mumbled, "Thanks, but don't call me Erin."

Miku frowned. "Then what am I supposed to call you?"

Her face turning a light shade of red, Erin said, "Rin. I like to be called Rin. Don't ask why!"

Before Miku could reply, Erin – well, Rin – spun around and dropped herself in her desk. Miku recalled hearing Rin get all kinds of comments about her nickname of choice. None of these comments were necessarily bad, but they obviously left an impression if Rin was reacting this way after answering Miku's question. Miku grinned. She already knew a great way to immediately get on Rin's good side.

"Rin's a nice name," she told the girl. After Rin slowly turned around, Miku continued, "And at least your nickname makes sense. My best friend has been calling me Miku-I'm-Six for, like, ten years. You don't know how many times I've had to explain that one to new people."

A small smile grew on Rin's face. "Your best friend sounds like an idiot."

The words "He is" were about to pass through Miku's mouth, but then she stopped herself at the thought that calling Nero an idiot was not the best way to get his crush interested in him. Instead Miku changed the subject. "So, you weren't liking art very much? I heard you transferred to this class from that one."

Rin blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Ms. Prima said she hates anime. Okay, I know that makes me sound like a weeaboo, but since you're wearing an SAO shirt you can't judge me. Anyway, I had to get the hell out of that class. She complained that my art style was 'too anime.' I'm sorry, but criticize the art I turn in for crying out loud! Not the stuff I doodle in my notebook."

Processing all the words Nero would love to hear, Miku asked the huffing Rin, "Are you done ranting?"

As if the rant had dispelled every breath of a bad mood, Rin smiled and answered, "Yes, I am. Been needing to get that one off my chest for a while now."

"Don't have a lot of people to complain to."

"Is it that obvious?"

If there was one thing Miku liked about Rin right then, it was Rin's keeping a smile on her face as she admitted to something kind of sad. True, not having friends to vent to wasn't a tragedy, but Rin acted as if the loneliness didn't bother her. Whether or not it did was no concern of Miku's. She was just glad to know that Rin was not going to be one of those over emotional girls that made female friendships so difficult for her.

"If you ever need to grip about anything stupid, I'm all ears," she told Rin. "Trust me, I once went on for weeks about the cover change of my favorite book series. My best friend still won't let me live that one down."

"I'll keep you in mind," Rin replied. Since the teacher still had not entered the classroom yet despite the bell had already rung, Rin leaned forward and asked Miku, "Speaking of poetry, have you heard of Doki Doki Literature Club?"

We get to play with fire! The thought was most probably not the best to say aloud, especially with the teacher present. Nero had a slight fascination with fire, and it was one that lead him to set fire to the bathroom rug when he was six. He hadn't been allowed near fire since. Even Miku, had not yet moved next door and learned the story years later, still made fun of him for the event.

That was why Nero was going to try acting as normal as possible at the process of burning the peanuts for lab. He was no pyromaniac, but that didn't mean he needed to give anyone reason to think he was. Especially if Nero was going to later try to get Allen to hook up with Miku.

"Hey," Allen said as he walked into the classroom and sat beside Nero.

"'Sup, Len?" Nero replied, knowing that Allen preferred his name shortened, even if Allen wasn't a long name. Nero decided not to question it.

Len dropped his backpack. "Totally stressed about today's test."

Snapping his head towards Len, Nero exclaimed, "We have a test today?!"

"Dude, don't you read the syllabus?" Len rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He dropped the stack of papers in front of Nero. "You can look over my notes. I already spent all night studying; the next ten minutes will help you a lot more than it's gonna help me."

"Thanks." Nero frantically flipped through the sheets and tried to absorb as much information as possible. It wouldn't be until later that he snorted at how organized and thorough Len's notes were, or how pretty his penmanship was. However, it was while he was taking the test that Nero remembered that he was supposed to be getting some info on Len for Miku. The second of panic passed when he remembered that he had spent the past few weeks already getting to know Len and could just use some of that to buy Miku off in favor of something about his sister.

"We gotta burn the peanut," Nero said after they had finished the test, which he was confident he failed, and went over the instructions on that day's lab.

Len raised an eyebrow. "You sound really excited about this."

"Just shut up and help me get everything set."

Halfway through the experiment, Nero decided to ask, "You like bacon?"

"Yeah." Furrowing his brows, Len stared at Nero. "Why you ask?"

"Just wondering."

"He likes bacon? That's it?" Miku punched Nero in the shoulder as they walked home together. "You were so absorbed with burning peanuts that you didn't think to get me more info than that, did you?"

Nero glared at Miku. "No. . . . Maybe."

"You're unbelievable."

"I know, right? How can someone as cool as me be seen with a mundane like you?"

Miku punched him in the shoulder again.

"Okay. Jeez, woman." Nero shook his head. "Allen also likes sports, played basketball at his old school, and has the same favorite book series as you. Better?"

For a moment Miku didn't reply, then she made up her mind. "Better."

"So," Nero began after Miku didn't continue speaking, "what about Erin?"

"For starters, don't call her Erin." Miku tossed her backpack to Nero along with the order, "Carry this for me."

Taking Miku's bag as usual, Nero asked, "If I'm not supposed to call her Erin, then what do I call her?"

"Rin."

"Rin?"

"She said don't ask," Miku answered. "And get this: She transferred out of art because Ms. Prima hates anime."

Without saying anything, Nero pumped his fist and mouthed yes. Miku decided to not mention that she and Rin spent the rest of their time together talking about their favorite game and how Natsuki is bae. It didn't matter whether or not Nero was holding out on her about Allen – a part of Miku wanted her friendship with Rin to be hers. If Nero and Rin ended up not being compatible, Miku still wanted to be able to hang out with the girl.

"I got the house to myself tonight," Nero told Miku after they walked a while without speaking. "Want to come over, order a pizza, and get mad at action movies?"

"You know me so well." A wicked smile spreading across her face, Miku broke into a full out sprint and shouted, "Last one there's a rotten egg?"

"No fair, Miku-I'm-Six!" Nero shouted back, not even bothering to try to keep up. "I'm stuck carrying your heavy freaking bag." Of course, there was no reply, but Nero smiled to himself nonetheless.