A/N: Hello, reader-san! After being in a comatose for 2 year, chapter 2's finally here! Yay? To be honest, I'm pretty nervous about this chapter. I just hope I delivered it in the same tone as I did in the first chapter. I reread this one a handful of times and I kinda got...lazy towards the end. I just figured what the hell and left some bugging details unchanged because I really wanted to post this one today. I'm also sorry Xinfinity.

The next chapter's a work in progress. I'll try to finish it in one or two weeks (but I learned to not have faith in that, lol). I'm seriously setting goals and prioritizing my stories instead of slacking off so...I need to stop rambling! I promise I'll keep the A/Ns to minimum next time.

Enjoy! :) x


Chapter 2: Hello, lover


The high sunlit clouds provided little shade for the morning. Sunlight spilled through them, bathing the whole campus in its warm glow. Inside the school buildings, the white-walled hallways buzzed with lively high-school students. Some of them took their leisure time walking to their respective homerooms, others chatting up with their friends, while some dashed off to somewhere. It marked the start of a typical day for an average student.

For the disciplinary committee, their customary rounds was accomplished around this time of the morning. Arriving early was a necessity to finish their tasks before the morning bell rang. Being the perfectionist that Hatsune Miku is, arriving an hour early was pretty normal. It was only 8 o'clock yet the disciplinary committee head's rounds were almost done, even when she shouldered the task of three members.

"That's really too much of us to ask of you," the other members protested.

"No, really. It's fine," Miku insisted.

Sighing in defeat, they eventually caved, much to her delight. They deserved some time off, to arrive a bit late as your average high-school student would, she thought.

"Hatsune-san!" a feminine voiced called from behind. Looking over, Miku saw a white-haired female jogging to catch up with her. She reduced her pace to greet the said girl. Up close, the young woman stood a few centimeters taller than Miku.

"Good morning. I was hoping to see you. Did you just come in, Yowane-san?" greeted the shorter female, smiling politely.

Yowane, the white-haired female, curtly nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, what brings the disciplinary committee head around these part of the halls? Is this about Yuu, Kyo, and Wil?"

Yowane Haku was a female classroom representative and was also in the same year as Miku. Every month, the school's student council would supervise a meeting to plan for upcoming school festivals. As the disciplinary committee's head, Miku was required to attend as well. Being in the same year, they often sat next to each other. It gained Miku another friendly face in the hallway.

"I'm not sure," answered Miku. "Mayu-chan has the chart, but I think I saw a Kyo there before."

On cue, a girl shorter than Miku popped up beside her, holding a wooden chart. Among the disciplinary committee's members, the petite girl was the only one whose resolution to accompany Miku quite unyielding, arriving slightly early than the committee head herself. "Gooood morning, Yowane-san!" Mayu chirped.

"Good morning to you too, Tachibana-san," Haku replied.

The bubbly girl proceeded to scan the chart, her pale blonde hair framing around her dainty face as she did. Along with her child-like face, she had a sweet voice and appeared quite young for a high-school student. Despite being in the same year as Miku and Haku, Tachibana Mayu was often mistaken for a middle-school student, but she was not in the disciplinary committee for nothing. "Let's see, for 2-C we have…Yuu, Kyo, and Wil."

Miku turned to Haku with a pleading look. "Yowane-san, can you call them for us, please? I'm not…familiar with them," said Miku. After all, even after familiarizing herself with each name in the student registry (one of the privileges of being disciplinary committee head), putting a face together with a name and memorizing all of them was impossible. Aside from her peers from her homeroom and club, the student council, and the committee, she was unfamiliar with most of the names on the chart. Thankfully, no name she knew appeared on the chart so far.

Except for one.

"Sure. Wait here," said Haku, nodding in understanding. She disappeared from the hallway to her classroom, which was just beside them, her long hair kept in a low ponytail flowing behind her. Not long after, three tough-looking males appeared looking cross, with Haku trailing just behind them.

After mouthing a thanks to the white-haired female, Miku got straight to business, clearing her throat as she put her arms behind her. "Takahashi Yuu, Suzuki Kyo, and Sato Wil, you three have been reported to have missed five consecutive days of o-soji; exhibited rude behavior towards your homeroom sensei; and, disrespected your male class prefect, Yamamoto Yuma, when given warning. Therefore, as decided by the disciplinary committee, with the approval of the student council secretary, you three are subjected to forty hours of cleaning as your class representatives see fit. You are required to accomplish these hours only after your classes or during the weekends with the supervision of at least one class representative and faculty member with prior approval. Any questions you may have can be answered by Yowane-san or Yamamato-san."

Taking a deep breath after such a long explanation, Miku finally handed out their timecards before the three fellows could register what occurred.

They did not look pleased when they did. If you squinted, you might see a dark aura emanating from the three.

"This is rubbish!" one of them exclaimed upon receiving their card.

"Why do we have to follow you, eh?" threatened another, looming over Miku.

"Just because you're the disciplinary committee we have to kiss your ass or something?!" sneered one male with eyes full of venom.

The chatter in the hallway died down, the air tense. Nearby spectators listened in. All eyes were on their group, especially Miku.

Behind them, near the classroom door, the white-haired class representative was already quivering behind the boys, obviously terrified of the exchange. Her mind reeled with thoughts like: What should I do? How am I supposed to survive forty hours with them? I can't do this alone. I hope Yamamoto-san is strong enough for the both of us. So scary…

To Miku's left, Mayu looked just as livid as the young men. Never mind that she didn't even reach past their shoulders, her eyes were glowering with fury.
Miku, who was quiet for a moment, put her a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder, who broke her glare to glance at the taller girl. Miku's features remained impassive, gentle even, making Mayu forget her rage in the first place. Seeing the disciplinary committee head unfazed by their intimidation tactics calmed her down.

"Now, now, you don't want to make that fifty, do you?" Miku finally said, her voice as calm as her features.

The statement, though placid, completely unnerved the three daunting male, all of them looking stubbornly to the side, easing some of the tension.

"I thought so."

She took a step closer to the three, her hands reaching out to the tallest male, the one in the middle of the group. He winced, waiting for the blow.

"And please wear your uniform properly," Miku added, buttoning up his shirt. She moved to fix the necktie and the collar of the other two males.

Haku, and other spectators who seemed to have gathered around the hallway, gaped in shock. Not only did Miku approach the delinquents (judging by their demeanor, obviously), but she also touched them!

"Did she have a death wish?" They all seemed to think that.

The three male stood speechless, nodding in response. One second they were menacing, the next, they appeared timid, blushing even.

Satisfied by their compliance, Miku smiled. Her smile radiated to the males and turned their faces pink to red.

Stepping back, Miku noticed their gathered audience and suddenly felt self-conscious, fussing about. She did not intend to create a scene; she was just doing her job. Attracting a crowd who looked eager to watch a brawl start was the last thing a member of the disciplinary committee, or, moreover, its head, wanted. "Er… Ah… Sorry, everyone! Please go on your usual day. It's no what it looks like! I'm sorry!" apologized the female, bowing to each passerby. This is so embarrassing, she thought.

After the students thinned out, she then apologized to the three males. She had not intended to embarrass them, she stated.

After bidding Haku goodbye, who then awkwardly approached the three blushing males, the two members of the disciplinary committee proceeded along the hallway to complete their round, the crowd parting as Miku walked, a humming Mayu trailing behind her. Whispers resonated in the air.

"Did you see how tough they looked?!"

"I don't know if I could stand up to them the way she did."

"She didn't even look scared."

"She never ceases to amaze me."

"That's the disciplinary head for you."

Miku tried to ignore the gossiping and failed. She picked on her uniform in an attempt to relieve her unease.

When she was fairly new to the disciplinary committee, doing her morning rounds made her feel uncomfortable. Passing through nameless faces left her cognizant, especially with herself, adding the fact that she tended to overthink. Her head was always hung low, shielding her face from their blatant stares. It was among the reasons why she comes to school so early. It was a good thing she always made her rounds with company, making the experience somewhat bearable.

"Miku-chan," called a sweet voice, pulling out the girl in deep thought. "Ignore them."

Miku timidly smiled as a form of thanks. She was glad for Mayu's stubbornness. If she had not pressed on accompanying her, she would not have finished her job. Speaking of…

"Are we almost finished?" Miku asked.

From the corner of her eyes, Mayu looked coyly sideward. "Er, yeah. We have one page left," she answered.

"How many more?" implored Miku.

"Um…just one," responded Mayu.

Just one more and Miku can finally run off to hide in her homeroom. "Thank goodness. Where to?"

Mayu made a weird facial expression. "Hehe~ I was hoping you wouldn't ask…"

"Why?" Miku asked.

Though she had a feeling…

"Let me take care of this one, Miku-chan," Mayu suggested, hiding the chart behind her back.

"Let me see the chart, Mayu-chan."

"But, Miku—"

"Let me see the chart," Miku pressed with a determined stare.

Sighing in defeat, Mayu handed the chart over. Miku flipped the pages to find the last one, her eyes skimming thoroughly over it. A list of offenses were lined up under 2-B to one particular name. She should have known, she thought. Her lips were pursed in chastise, shaking her head, failing to notice a figure silently approaching her.

"WOW THAT SURE IS A NUMBER!"

Miku screeched, startled by the sudden presence behind her. She turned around, distancing herself from whoever scared her socks off. The chart was pressed tightly to her heaving chest as she willed her heart rate to calm down. Aquamarine eyes then narrowed upon recognizing the offender.

A perfectly glorious smirk was the first thing that assaulted her. His striking navy blue eyes were alight with mischief. The smug-faced jerk did not appear in the slightest bit guilty, as if he did it on purpose. Knowing Kagamine Len, he probably did.

"Where—How—? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Miku shrieked at the top of her lungs, drawing attention of the surrounding students.

"Naw, why can't you just admit that seeing me makes your heart race?" Len retorted mockingly.

A memory of his bare chest flashed in her mind, her own brain betraying her. "A-as if I would ever in a million years find you attractive!" Miku exclaimed, her face red with fury. She was riled up. She was not blushing. No.

The naughtiness in his eyes vanished, replaced by something indiscernible as they narrowed. Len leaned forward, close enough that his golden bangs brushed over hers. "Do you really wanna go there, love?" he goaded, his tone reminding Miku of that fateful morning.

Warm, repulsive chest.

Angelic, sluggish face.

Semi-naked cuddling.

His weight pining her down.

More images flashed in her traitorous mind. In a loss for words, she defiantly met his stare.

"Get away from my Miku-chama!" cried Mayu, pulling her Miku-chama away.

Leaning back, he raised a quizzical eyebrow at the little female, quite surprised. There were only a handful of people who approached him, let alone give him a murderous stare. "Are you lost, midget? This is not an elementary school," Len jeered.

Mayu, on the other hand, looked ready to pounce.

A few students started circling around the trio. They were attracting attention. Miku decided to get it over with.

Calming Mayu by brushing her blonde head, Miku stepped closer to Len, near enough for him to hear her whisper. "Let's just get this over with, Kagamine," she hissed, shoving his timecard to his chest.

"Your dog is cute. Well-trained," the smug-faced jerk mused.

Rolling her eyes, Miku decided to ignore the comment. The faster she could finish her task, the less she had to endure his presence. "You're to report to the disciplinary committee after school to receive the consequences of your disobedience. I imagine you already know what you did, so I'm not wasting another second with you here." Without so much as a goodbye, Miku grabbed Mayu's hand and turned on her heel.

After Miku reached a certain distance, Len's smirk faded. He looked around the nosy spectators and glared daggers at them, causing them to flee.

She really doesn't remember a thing…he thought, staring at the piece of paper.


"Alright, that's the last of my report," Miku said, looking over at each member of the disciplinary committee. "Are there any more concerns?" Everyone shook their heads. "Then, the meeting is adjourned."

A male with blazing red hair pushed against the table. "I'll be going first. I promised Yuma I'll help him with training the kouhai as soon as the meeting's finished," said the redhead as he shoved his stuff in his bag.

"Sure, Ted-san. Good luck with the practice!" said Miku.

"Thanks, Miku-san. Let me know if something comes up," Ted replied as he approached the door. "See you around, guys!"

Next to his vacated seat sat a girl with short chocolate-colored hair. "That was a quick one!" she said, stretching her arms.

"Well, there was not much to discuss this week," replied by another disciplinary committee member who sat across the brunette. A now sleeping brunette.

"All thanks to our great Miku-chama!" squealed Mayu, who sat beside Miku. "She did the most of the rounds this week, of course. I was with her almost most of the time. She's so awesome!" Mayu practically crooned, wiggling in her seat with glee.

At least once a week, the disciplinary committee members assembles after class to discuss about the school's current status regarding the violations, delinquency, and their corresponding corrective actions. The head, as the committee's representative, convenes with the student council—comprised of seniors, mostly—by attending their meetings. The disciplinary committee acts as a lower branch of the student council to assist in promulgating the school's rules and regulation. A long time ago, the committee was just another seat in the council. However, over the years, the troublemakers became too problematic. The seniors who were part of the council experienced a tough time juggling their academics, their extracurricular activities and their preparations for entrance examinations. When this resulted to the decline in the academic performance of the student council members, the school faculty decided to intervene. They established a separate committee to handle school policy affairs, which would be comprised of juniors, upon observing that this contributed to the majority of their workload. Thus, the disciplinary committee was born.

Saying that Hatsune Miku liked following rules was an understatement—she loved them. It was the main reason she enlisted in the committee. Working with them was such a breeze.

Becoming its head, its representative, was unexpected. It was a huge honor for her so she promised to give it her all.

Not only that, joining the committee was one of the greatest decisions she ever made. Within weeks of joining, the members came to be her friends. Not only were they nice people, they were also studious, diligent and dependable.

A male voice chuckled. "Oi, Mayu-san, you're making Miku-san blush."

"Really?! That's so cute!" gushed Mayu.

Piko shook his head lightly, giving Miku a look which said…

"Will you be mine?"

Wait, it was Miku's delusions speaking. Warmth flooded her cheeks.

He just looked at you, Miku. Get a hold of yourself!

"OHMYGOD MIKU-CHAMA'S BLUSHING!~~"

Utatane Piko has been Miku's crush ever since freshman year. It started out rather innocent. He forgot his eraser. She offered—or stuttered—her eraser to him. As she was handing it over, their fingertips touched. The eraser fell on the floor, both of them stunned.

It was a special moment for Miku.

The door slid open, turning heads of each person in the room (except for the snoozing girl).

Miku was grateful for the interruption.

A male student peeked in, his eyes hovering on each person in the room. "Excuse me, is Meiko h—OI!" the boy said, dashing in without invitation, and grabbed the brunette's sleeve, who was currently napping.

"Five more minutes," the girl sluggishly mumbled.

Sakine Meiko was a brown-haired, brown-eyed beauty who loved napping. As evidence, she spends the majority of her day sleeping, may it be during homeroom, lunch, between classes, or during afternoon classes. There were times when she'd fall asleep in the middle of a committee meeting, who will then be nudged awake by Ted, Piko or Mayu. Other than the disciplinary committee, the female attended the chess club, or, rather, slept in it. Miku once asked Meiko why she joined the chess club among all the other clubs she tried. The brown-eyed girl replied that she liked having to do something as minimal as possible. "Such as beating some kid with four moves", she said.

Despite her behavior, she landed the third spot in the midterm examinations.

"No! You're helping us train and you're going to beat each and every one of us—"

"I don't wanna!" Meiko whined.

"—Or you're out of the club."

The threat served its purpose. Meiko immediately perked up. "Oh, well, my lovelies," she said, standing up as she feigned dramatics. "I did my best to stay here with my beloved friends but duty calls! Ta-tah, my loves!" With that, she left, closing the door behind them. This left Miku, Mayu, and Piko the only people in the room.

"Every time," Piko said, looking well-amused.

"Yeah," said Miku, giggling.

Not long after, the door once again slid open, revealing the smiling face of the student council's vice president.

"Fuku-shachou!" said Miku, standing abruptly from her seat.

"Hi, guys. No need to be so formal Hatsune-san," greeted the auburn-haired girl. Mayu waved back enthusiastically. Piko regarded the ginger with a polite smile.

"Oh, sorry," mumbled Miku, quietly regaining her seat.

"You also don't have to apologize," said Piko.

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry…again."

"Miku-chama is so cuuuute," Mayu squealed.

"What brings you here, Akita-san?" said Piko, turning to the visitor.

Her hand started rubbing the back of her head. "Actually, I need a favor from you guys, not with the council though," she replied shyly. "The others are busy with training and we're moving some equipment around. I was wondering if you guys could help out, if that's okay."

"We'll do it, Akita-san," Miku said.

"It doesn't have to be all three of you. I only need two set of hands."

"If that's the case, then Mayu-san and I'll gladly assist," offered Piko. "Miku-san, you stay here. You've done enough already."

"I agree, Hatsune-san. You work too hard," added Neru.

"But I want to spend more time with Miku-chama," protested Mayu.

Miku stood up. "No, I insist—"

The ashen-haired male moved to grab Mayu by her collar. "We're going Mayu-san," he declared.

"Butbutbutbut," Mayu stammered as she was dragged away.

When the girl started thrashing, he whispered something in her ear. "You don't want Miku to get tired, don't you?" he said.

Miku fidgeted, trying to get their attention. She caught Piko's eye and felt time…stop.

She gazed into his magnificent eyes, gasping to catch her breath. They were her favorite feature of his, one colored a striking blue and the other an emerald green. From afar, she imagined them to have those little specks of cerulean she observed during their time being seatmates. His eyebrows raised in recognition and he beamed at Miku before disappearing in the hallway.

"I guess I'll be off then," said Neru, snapping Miku out of her trance.

"Oh, okay," uttered Miku, blinking rapidly. Neru gave her a knowing smile, which confused Miku, and followed the other two.

Now, all alone and with some spare time in her hands, Miku decided to rewrite the minutes of their meeting. Most clubs were just starting their activities around this time and her club decided not to meet up today. She usually did this upon arriving home, but it was still too early for her to come home. This was productive, she thought. After all, it was best to write her report while her memory was still fresh. Besides, why put it off when she can finish it five days early?
At least, when she comes home, she can start her homework early.

In the ringing silence, her mind kept wandering to a certain hetero-chromatic male. She thought back to the time they first talked to each other. It was the first day of school. They were both lost and, as luck would have it, were in same class, so they decided to find their classroom together.
She remembered being sad that their journey to their classroom was the end of their time together. She thought he seemed like a really nice guy and wanted him to be her friend. When the time for drawing up lots came up, she secretly wished to be Piko's seatmate. And, they did.

Not long after, they became familiar with each other. They greeted each other before and after class. They often walked together to the vending machine during lunch. They became close by helping each other in studying. Well, she helped him out, but Miku was glad to have a chance to spend time with him, though Piko didn't require much help. After all, he ranked second then and during the past midterms.

As time went by, Miku's feelings for Piko became harder to ignore. She began contemplating about confessing. She thought about it all the time. There were a lot of times when they were alone together. She would muster up all her courage, trying to be spontaneous for once. And every time, she chickened out.

Oh, how Miku regretted it now. She lost her opportunity. Now, she was stuck in an arranged marriage with zero chances of being together with Piko.

All because of that infuriating blonde.

"Hello, lover," whispered a low sultry voice directly to Miku's ear.

She almost jolted out of her seat, now experiencing her second cardiac arrest within 24 hours.

The warm breath sullying her one ear made Miku shudder, wanting very much to sanitize it from its owner's foul bacteria.

The voice snickered in all wickedness. It was a voice Miku could recognize anywhere.

You evil bastard…

Wanting to give him a piece of her mind, Miku's head turned, drawing in a breath through her mouth to scream, yell, and shout—
—but the words died in her throat.

His insufferable face, in turn, drained of its ill-mannered humor, the ever-so-present smirk fading along with it.

Miku's grip on her pen weakened, its ungraceful flop on the table the only sound resonating in the whole room.

There they were. Leaning in from behind her, his face was angled approximately centimeters away from her. They were so close they practically breathed each other's air.

Her wide eyes stared at his equally shocked pale sapphire ones, neither of them desiring to break contact.

Miku felt panic clamber up her chest as she saw Len's striking gaze lowering to her lips


End of chapter notes:

Student council: After doing a little research, I found varied information about the subject. Apparently, Japanese schools are highly organized with a definite hierarchy to them. Unlike in manga and anime, the student council does not have absolute power over everything. In general, they are put in charge for stuff like festivals and other school events such as camping trips or school assemblies. There's a lot of information on the net so I'll stop here, haha.

Class representative: I've read that there are some schools in Japan which don't have a class prefect. To those who do, the class representative 'system' varies. Some changes class reps every day. Other schools choose by selecting the top-ranking student. One mentioned they elect their class prefects, one male and one female, and was a separate entity from the student council (which is what I decided to go with). Their general tasks are to keep order when the teacher's not around, to clean the blackboard between lectures, lead the greetings before and after class, and assist the teacher in bringing stuff, among other things.

O-soji – It roughly translates to 'the big cleanup'. O-soji is a ritual performed at the end of the year, symbolizing the fresh start to a new year. Japanese schools teach this tradition at school. After class, students are assigned certain tasks in cleaning like sweeping, emptying trash bins, cleaning restroom, etc.

Sensei – a pretty common word in manga and anime. It is Japanese for 'teacher'.

Kōhai – It is the term used to describe a person younger than you or a someone in a lower-class than you are, like a protégé. While senpai may be akin to a 'senior', kōhai may be considered as a 'junior'.

Fuku-shachō – the Japanese word for 'vice president'.