~ The Android Idol ~
Chapter 1 ~ Hello Hastune
"Is she ready for activation?"
"Yes, sir."
"Flick the switch."
"Yes sir."
Flick.
Hatsune Miku V53 has been activated.
Her lash-laced lids drew away, exposing her teal orbs to the lab's light. She rose with soft and calculated movement, as if a nimble-handed puppeteer were drawing her upright. Her motions were blank, unaffected by the scars of life.
One leg slid off the bench, followed closely by the other. She stood and slowly paced around, absorbing her surroundings. She was in a bare room, she observed. Everything was clean and white, from the smooth walls to the glowing bulbs to the asphalt floor. The white bench she rose from was surrounded by well-shined metal instruments extending from the ceiling. She brushed her hand across their cool surfaces. When this brought her to awareness of the chilly air, she attempted to warm herself by rubbing her hands along her arms but to no great effect.
At the wurring sound of the doors behind her sliding apart, she peaked over her shoulder to see a black-suited man walk inside. "Please sit," he instructed.
She seated herself on her waking bench. Only then did her eyes fall upon the empty chair opposite her. Was she expected to sit there instead?
The problem was fast resolved. The man moved to occupy its vicinity.
Now that she was directly across from him, she was able to closely analyse his appearance. Most of his fit body suggested that he was in his thirties, but the wrinkles framing his thin eyes hinted otherwise. This was reinforced by the grey colour of his hair, just long enough to be tied back, and the soul patch on his chin. Travelling down the body, she noticed his bony fingers wrapped around a screen. A piece of information drifted into her conscious mind, he's holding an iPad.
He patiently waited for her to complete her examination. When she rested her gaze upon his, he revealed a friendly smile, "Good morning, Hatsune-san." He paused. She calculated why.
"Good morning."
He tapped something on his iPad; a checkbox.
"My name is Hashimoto Daichi and I'm the professor who led in the creation of you."
"It is good to meet you, Hashimoto-sensei."
"It's good to meet you too," he said as he checked another box.
"Hatsune-san, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" She nodded. "Could you please tell me what you are?"
"An android created through the arrangement of robotic cells, known as Cell Technology, and Kokoro Programming, the latest AI technology, to sing in various performances for Crypton Future Media."
Tap. "Now, can you tell me who you are?"
"I just did."
"No, no. You're confusing what with who."
"What is the difference, Hashimoto-sensei?"
"The difference is that 'what' refers to things that can be plainly identified as… well, things. 'Who' refers to personal identity."
"I have been identified as Hatsune Miku. Is who I am Hatsune Miku?"
"Does the name hold any personal meaning for you?"
She said nothing as her eyes wandered away in thought. Personal meaning… she knew what it meant; the definition was almost printed in her mind, yet it was still stranger to her. She was unable to appreciate it.
"I do not hold personal meaning for anything. Is that a bad thing?"
Tap. "In your case, no. Hatsune-san, tell me more about the reason why you were born."
"I am to be observed, my behaviour, my responses, my… emotions. To see if I can become a… a who."
His face broke into a wide smile. "Outstanding! You're already showing signs of human intellect." He ticked two boxes. "Now, today is the 31st of August. Could you please tell me the significance of this day?"
"It was the day when my voice-bank was completed sixteen years ago, and has been announced as my official birthday."
"Exactly. Happy birthday!"
Happy? She could define 'happy' as a feeling of contentment, but what does happiness feel like? Is she expected to feel 'happy' now? Birthdays are a celebration and celebrations are usually happy. Yes, she should feel happy, but she still doesn't feel happy. Why is she not happy?
Then she felt something strange; her chest was tightening. Is this happy? Her insides vibrated. How can this be happy? Her eyes widened. I don't like this feeling. This isn't happy.
"Hashimoto-sensei, I do not feel 'happy' and it's making my body tighten and shake. What is this?"
His eyebrows sprung up, "Anxiety? Why are you feeling that now?"
"I do not know. It happened when I realised I was not feeling 'happy' like I'm supposed to."
Then his face relaxed. "I see, you're worried because you think you're supposed to be happy but aren't. Don't worry, I should have expected such a response from you in the first place."
Then her chest relaxed and her insides settled. "It's better now. Thank-you, professor."
He smiled. "You're welcome." Then he stood. "Come, there are some people wanting to meet you."
"Yes, professor."
As she rose and followed him through the sliding doors, her first flaw was revealed. Her knee-length hair was so long and thick that it became a sail, catching the air and dragging her back slightly.
Noticing Miku's odd yanking nod every few seconds, the scientist asked, "What's wrong?"
"My hair keeps pulling me back."
He watched the back-drifting pigtails and realised the problem. "We'll have to fix that later."
"Okay."
Then they were passing people who had previously gathered in the hall. At the sight of the idol walking along the narrow path they made, they clapped, cheered, whistled and grinned widely with joy. She turned to see light reflecting the joyful tears and smile of one worker and asked the professor, "Are these people happy?"
"Yes, Hatsune-san," he replied as he tried to restrain his own proud grin.
"Why?"
"Because you are their dream-come-true."
She felt a pang in her heart, a sweet pang. The corners of her lips started twitching upwards. "Sir, what's happening to me?"
His head flicked around to see her confused smile, and his own miraculously stretched wider. "That's happiness! Hatsune Miku, smile and wave to everyone."
Wave? Like the ocean? She did her best to imitate rolling water, her arms diving and rising in bold curves. Everyone laughed, including Daichi. Her cheeks tingled. "Professor? What am I feeling now?" she squeaked as she pinched her cheeks.
"Embarrassment!" he exclaimed before his flushed face burst into laughter. His fingers shook as he attempted to jot down that detail into a virtual note, only to tap the wrong keys.
After turning a few more corners and walking along a few more halls, Miku spied an entrance hall ahead. Standing beside the front doors were two people, a man and a woman, their eyes fixed upon the teal-haired android.
Daichi stepped forward to greet the suited man with a bow and polite smile. "Good morning, President Matsumo."
"You too, Hashimoto-sensei," he replied, returning the gesture.
Daichi moved on to the woman and examined her appearance as he bowed to her. Her hair was tied into a tight bun with a teal ribbon, most likely in honour of Miku's official birth. She wore a white blouse with a black business jacket and matching pencil skirt over wide hips. As his eyes travelled down in the bow, he saw her knee-high teal socks and well-shined black pumps. He rose back up to see her round face smiling. "Yuki Honda." She turned to Miku. "Hello, Hatsune-san. I'm your new manager."
Miku bowed. "It's nice to meet you," she replied before greeting the president in a similar fashion.
After exchanging bows, Eiji Matsumo paced around Miku, who stood obediently, lifting her arms to show her sides and parting her tails to reveal her back. He examined her intricate, realistic design. Sometimes he couldn't help but gasp in awe, and occasionally he would knit his brows, but they were quick to unravel.
"You have done marvellously, Professor. I have no doubt in my mind that Crypton's money is well spent."
He resumed his position. "I'll have your pay transferred as soon as we leave. We must begin her training as soon as possible." He turned to Yuki, who was still in a slightly awed daze as she stared at the idol. "Her first performance is in a fortnight, Honda-san. I expect a detailed final schedule of the tour with booking numbers by Saturday."
"Yes, president-sama."
Not a single seat was spared in the stadium. Even the reserved chairs were occupied by every VIP, whether sick or healthy, because not one lucky seat saver wanted to miss this revelation.
The bubbly chatter hushed as the stage lights grew bright. Eiji Matsumo walked onto the stage, raising a microphone to his greeting smile. "Hello, everyone. Welcome to Hatsune Miku's Concert Revelation. My name is Matsumo Eiji and, if you do not already know, I am the president of Crypton Future Media."
"Konichiwa, Matsumo-sama!" the crowd chanted back.
"Now, you've all noticed that the Crypton light has dimmed quite a bit. Hatsune Miku's program has also been removed from the market and the Project Diva games have been placed on hiatus. Let me assure you, this was all because of a huge project that Crypton has been working on for the past four years. Perhaps we have taken our gambles too far, but how could I resist watching my childhood walk off the glass? Could you resist? Would you? Do you want to see her?"
The crowd resonated a powerful "Yes!"
"I see. Well then, introducing… HATSUNE MIKU!"
As he hurried down the stairs and off stage, a trapdoor opened to raise the idol. She waved and winked at the audience welcoming her with cheers and applause.
"The number one princess in the whole wide world"
"She holds the world in the palm of her hand!"
"Got it?!"
The applause and cheers erupted once again as her hips began to sway. She kicked her legs and spun and strutted about the stage. It was clear that she understood her royal role.
"First thing to know, notice the perfection of my hair,"
"Cut down to the inch. I demand a compliment!"
"Secondly, I want to hear that my shoes are looking adorable today"
The glow sticks wielded by the audience beat with the beat as they sung along.
Audience: "Next thing to know,"
Miku: "For every word you hear me speak to you, I expect exactly three words in reply!"
"If you understand, I want you to hold onto my empty hand"
"Now!"
Then the chorus returned. As she sung about her servant becoming a prince, more swishing of hips, strutting of legs and swaying of arms ensued as she sung with her iconic, bubbly voice, right up until the concluding line.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
And in that final note, she twirled on the spot, her tails spiralling with her, stretched a hand to the stadium roof, and dropped into a bow.
The electric doors slid apart to admit an Asian woman wearing damp work-out clothes into the meeting room. About twenty heads atop formally dressed bodies turned to her. They surrounded an oval table. One of the seated said, "Moon Chu, please sit."
Chu paced over to the chair-gesturing man, sat and glared into his eyes. "I'm on my first break from a three hour dance practice. Better be good."
The man's gaze hardened. "Why do you always forget your place around me?"
"Why do you always forget that you lost my respect for you long ago?"
He narrowed his eyes at her and turned away to stand. (An action she responded to with an eye-roll.) He cleared his throat and projected his voice. "Everyone, I'm holding this meeting due to a special request from Kim Jong-un-hapha."
"What does he want now?" groaned Chu.
He ignored her. "Surely you've noticed the media has become very excited over the revelation of Hatsune Miku lately?"
"Well, I would if you didn't keep me under a damn rock all the-"
"Chu! Quiet! I will take serious action if that's what it takes to shut you up!"
She scowled as she slumped back in her chair.
The man restraightened himself. "As I was saying before, the international media has become obsessed with Hatsune Miku and has reported heavily upon her supposed capabilities. Due to the media's unfortunate habit of bias and exaggeration, we have conducted thorough research into her design via more reliable sources. Kung-seongsang?"
As he sat, another man stood with a report in hand. "According to SCHAFT Inc. Hatsune Miku has been constructed from millions of robotic human cells and was 3D printed into a body structure similar to that of a human, complete with a cardiovascular system that, rather than delivering blood, carries electrons to power each cell. She has an internal battery that allows her to function for a maximum of twenty hours and requires six to be fully charged."
And so he droned on and on about the various talents and flashy technologies of Miku. Chu didn't listen and would have fallen asleep if the rude grumbles of her stomach didn't keep her awake. Looking for something to distract herself, she decided to give herself an appearance check to see if there were any flaws that needed erasing.
She flexed her slender fingers. Hmm… perhaps her nails could do with a new filing. Their almond shape had grown too long. Next up was her hair: still wavy; still dyed ginger; still tangled from the past session's hair flicks. Now for the body. Free of fat. She'd probably danced off more than she ate today. Nevertheless, she still retained her curvy-but-not-too-curvy curves. No more plastic surgery needed. Face: the varnished marble of the table revealed a petite chin and high cheek-bones, almond-shaped eyes, pale skin and soft lips. Without her make-up on, she looked like a mannequin. It still creeped her out a little to see herself this way, yet she never denied the fact that she was indeed attractive. It was a shame that her vanity could not mirror it.
Bet Hatsune doesn't need to work so hard to have an appearance like this.
"Chu? Why are you staring at your reflection?"
She snapped her head up to see everyone staring her. She quickly straightened herself and nervously brushed he hair behind her ear. "It's nothing," she smirked, "Bon-Hwa."
Bon-Hwa drew his face close to hers. "This is your final warning, Chu Moon," he whispered. "Say anything else out of line, call me that ever again, and I swear I'll lock you up until you learn some respect!"
She wanted to sneer something like "Good luck pleasing the fans without me!" but decided not to toss her final chance. Pursing her lips to trap a scowl, she folded her arms and took a deep, calming breath. Bon-Hwa rose to address his audience again.
"Now, about that request from the president. He has ordered us to capture Hatsune Miku and use her technology for the benefit of North Korea. Planning shall commence tomorrow. Any questions?"
One hand rose.
"Anyone other than Chu?"
No one answered.
"Meeting dismissed."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKU~! I hope you like my present to you; a chance to be tortured by me in this fanfiction! XD
Hello, readers! Welcome to my first Vocaloid fanfic!
What you have just read is the first product of six months of preparation. I've been planning this for so long that I'm a bit sick of it already, but I won't be for long! I'm pumped!
So for the terms of updating and length, since each chapter requires multiple rewrites and edits, expect an update every two months at most or two weeks at least. It is also possible that I will take a research hiatus if updates take too long by learning as I go. I estimate this story to be around 18 to 20 chapters long and completed by next Christmas.
Also, if you would like translations for some of the honorifics in this chapter, look on my profile where I will have all the story-relevant Korean and Japanese honorifics listed.
Disclaimers/Claimers:
1. Excluding Hatsune Miku, all the characters in this story are completely original. Any resemblance to a real person or persons is purely coincidental. Hashimoto Daichi, if you intend to sue me, please know that I named the robot professor BEFORE I discovered that a professional wrestler like yourself shared the same name. I am sure you have no intention of building a Hatsune Miku android nine years from now.
2. I do not own Vocaloid. If you want to own Vocaloid, I suggest you look up where you can buy it. Companies such as Crypton and Internet Co. have Vocaloids for sale. Buy them and make songs from them.
3. Yes, Kim-Jong-un is the current president of North Korea but as he will not be physically appearing in the story, I am not breaking any policies. I'd rather acknowledge the official president rather than make one up, especially since he is very likely to still be in power nine years from now.
I apologise for the extremely long author's notes. I just had to get a lot out of the way. I promise not to type a bolded essay (or 404 words) at the end of every chapter and keep any comments to a few paragraphs at most.
Once again, thank-you so much for reading~! If you have any feedback, review! I hope to hear from you next chapter, but for now,
Sayanara~! :D