Rana: Is Master still alive?
Miku: I have no idea. It's been 10 months since he posted the "Intro Part 1."
Rana: Has he forgotten about us? About... me? *sniff*
Miku: Don't cry, Rana! I'll find him and force him to explain himself!
Master: Please don't! I'm right here! ... Put the giant leek down, Miku...
Rana: Yay! Master's here!
Miku: Finally...
Hi, everyone. It's been 10 months, so it's possible the quality of my writing might have changed (i.e. gotten worse) from the previous upload (which was, 10 months ago, shockingly). Anyway, that's enough talk from me. You clicked on this fanfic to read it, didn't you? I'll just explain myself in the afterword if you're curious to know why I've been out for so long. Enjoy!
Note: For those inept in Japanese, Onee-chan is pronounced "o-NEH ch-ah-n." A familiar way of saying "big sister."
UPDATE: Sorry. I made a slight mistake. I mixed up the songs "Rainbow-Colored Monster" and "Lovely Magic 799" in the flashback dialogue. Hopefully the mistake wasn't glaring or noticeable. ^^;
Introduction Part 2: Miku departs for Shibuya
Song: "Rainbow-Colored Monster" by monaca:factory
10 months after Rana's introduction, in the living room of the Hatsune residence...
"NO! I got this! Let me play one more match! I'll win this time!"
"Onee-chan, you've said that five times already..."
"JUST ONE MORE!"
"Aww..."
"Note to self: Never let Onee-chan play another online game."
"Not only with singing, but with video games too...? Her desire to win exceeds my daily alcohol intake..."
Although Puchi, Chibi, and Haku were voicing their concerns, I didn't lend an ear; I just had to win one match! These online players were getting on my nerves! And besides, Chibi and Puchi begged me to buy this game, so I used my own money. I at least have the right to hog some of the play time for this game!
This game, that features 4 vs 4 online multiplayer. A game in which the objective is to paint (or rather, ink because the characters that players control are these kind of squid humanoid creatures) the ground with your color ink via ink-powered guns. Whichever team that covers the most ground with their color ink within 3 minutes wins the match. Sounds simple, right? Well, another quirk is that if a player is inked with the opposing team's ink, they receive damage, if a player is inked enough times, they get splatted. The "splatting" is accompanied by a cute Splat! sound and a colorful explosion of the player's ink color. Getting splatted causes one to return to their team base. Gah! This always happens to me! More times I get splatted rather than me splatting opposing players! What's worse, my team always loses! The opposing team always manages to cover more ground! I bet it's because my teammates suck! Well, I'll just have to carry the whole weight myself!
"Onee-chan, press ZR!"
"Huh?! What?!" I frantically shifted my eyes between Chibi next to me and the TV. Are you trying to distract me?!
"Press ZR!"
"O-Okay!" I pressed the ZR button like she told me to. My humanoid squid character raised her ink roller and snapped it downward, causing ink to fly. A quick, less-than-one-second motion insured the Splat! of an enemy player hiding in the enemy ink. What a sly player!
"Ha! I gotcha, ya sneaky squid!"
"With my help!" Chibi pouted as she crossed her arms.
"Thank you, Chibi. I shall use this roller attack to turn the tide of battle!"
"With 1 minute left? Heh. Good luck!"
"Go Onee-chan!" Puchi voiced her enthusiasm. Unfortunately, I received no such luck. My team ended up losing, for the 6th time. I uttered "Lost... again..." as I assumed the "orz" position.
"There's always next time, Onee-chan!"
"Thanks... Puchi..."
"Failing that roller around made you an easy read. They exploded and inked you every time!"
"Yeah! You exploded and inked ten times! You suck! Fufu!" Puchi, I thought you were nice a few seconds ago...
"Chibi, I think you mean flailing, not failing..." Haku corrected her.
"Huh? Fall-lay-ling?" Chibi looked confused as she mispronounced the word.
"And it's not exploded, but exploited..."
"Huh? Eggs-ploy-did?" Wow, Haku. You have a keen sense for word correction. I had a feeling it was redundant when she said exploded and inked at the same time.
"B-but... I'm not exploitable... They just ganged up on me for continuously using the same roller attack..."
"Miku... that is exploitation..." Not you too, Haku. Please don't rub it in...
Well, although I had done nothing but lose in this game, I had to admit the concept of this game was a very fun one. There was no doubt this game in many ways resembled a third-person shooter, but the subject material actually appealed to an audience of a wide age range. It's perfect for children to have fun in and for adults to compete. Anyone can love this game. Just look at all those bright, vibrant colors. Hmm... bright and vibrant, just like a certain Vocaloid... Wait... Suddenly, I realized the urgency to check the time on the clock. 10:17AM?! The driver must be here already!
"Oh no! I gotta go!"
10:21AM! I better do a swift goodbye. Good thing Haku and my sisters are already outside to see me off.
"Chibi! Puchi! I'll be away for the weekend, so be good!"
"Yes, Onee-chan!"
"Yes... Onee-chan..." Puchi's response seemed weak.
"Haku, I'm counting on you to watch Chibi and Puchi!"
"I know, Miku... This isn't the first time you've asked this of me..."
"No drinking either!"
"I know... Aww..."
"I'll see you later, Chibi!"
"Okay!"
"Puchi, I'll see you later."
"Yes... Onee...chan..." Tears fell from her cheeks.
"Come here." I bent down to my knees and gave her a hug, in hopes of improving her mood. This isn't an unusual thing for Puchi. Given her young age, it makes sense that she'd be very attached. "Please don't cry. I'll be back before you know it."
"I love you, Onee-chan..."
"I love you too." Oh Puchi. You little angel. "Let me hug you too, Chibi!"
"Ahhh! Stop it, Onee-chan! You're squeezing me too hard!"
"Oh fine, Chibi... Haku, you too! Come here!"
"But...! I'm not your sister!" I hugged Haku anyway.
"That doesn't matter! And I doubly mean no drinking. I don't need two glum girls under my roof." I whispered in Haku's ear.
"Yes... Miku..."
Once I let go, I finally said, "Okay! Bye girls!" Thus I waved a farewell.
"Bye, Onee-chan!" Chibi was jumpy as ever.
"Bye, Onee-chan." Puchi's mood had improved a bit as she put in effort to form a smile.
"Goodbye..." Haku still seemed glum as ever.
With our farewells finally done, I picked up my luggage and went into my car.
My driver spoke up. "Ms. Hatsune, your bags look heavy. I should be assisting you by carrying them.
"It's fine. A weekend's worth of luggage is not very heavy."
"I see. Please fasten your seat belt." Finally we were driving off. I looked outside the window to notice Haku and my sisters still waving. Puchi waved as well with a smile on her face, but I knew she was still sad to see me off. I did promise her I'd be back after the weekend was over, but I guess it's only another way of saying "I'll be gone for a while." Her sadness was in complete contrast to the joy she expressed yesterday. She was the one that answered the phone call, the trigger of today's events.
Yesterday...
[Hello? Is this the Hatsune residence?]
"Ye~s."
[Hm. Excuse me, but would you be Hatsune Miku's little sister?]
"Yes! Um... Who are you?"
[I'm Rana, the Vocaloid of We've Inc.]
"O-Oh my god! Y-You're... the Rainbow Colored Monster?!"
[Why yes I am! I'm glad you recognize me that way! Fufu!]
"I love that song so much! I also love 'Lovely Magic 799!' 'Nana kyuu kyuu! Nana kyuu kyuu!' Oh! Oh! And I love other songs from you! I'm a huge fan!"
[Really? I bet you're a bigger fan of your sister though.]
"No way! You're as great as my sister! I like you both equally!"
[What's your name?]
"Puchi!"
[Well Puchi, that's very kind of you.]
"Also, I love your animal friends! They're so cute!"
[Yeah. They really are! Is there nothing you don't like about me? Fufufu.]
"I like everything about you!"
[Oh Puchi...]
"Puchi, who's that on the phone?"
"Huh? It's Rana!"
Rana, the Vocaloid?"
"Yep!"
"No wonder you sound so happy. Why did she call?"
"Oh! Let me ask! ... Onee-chan wants to know why you called."
[Ah! Yes! I actually called for her. May I speak to her, Puchi?]
"Sure! ... She wanted to talk to you, Onee-chan!"
"Huh? Really? Okay... ... Hello? Rana?"
[Hi Miku! How are you?]
"Good. I'm alright. And you?"
[I'm good!]
"So... why'd you call, Rana? I rarely get calls from other Vocaloids, unless they're about important business and such."
[Yeah. Sorry if you found this call strange.]
"It's fine, Rana. Really. So what's up?"
[Well, there's something I wanted to talk to you about.]
"What is it?"
[I'm afraid speaking about this over the phone would take way too much time. Plus, we wouldn't want to rack up our phone bills, would we?]
"Aren't we celebrities? Shouldn't that not be a problem? Heheh."
[That might be true... more for you than me, probably... but still...]
"Is something wrong?"
[It's nothing. I just... want to get to know you.]
"You mean know me as in my whole life? If that's the case, then the time-consuming phone call problem would make sense."
[No. I want to meet you in person. I think getting to know you would be best if we personally met with each other.]
"I see... That's fine. I'd love to get to know you as well. Where do you want to meet?"
[If it's not a bother, would you come over to my house? I'm going through checkups this weekend, so I can't leave the house.]
"Checkups in your own house? You must be special if you don't have to leave your home to go to the doctor."
[Doctor? I'm only having my system settings checked upon, just in case there are any irregularities or anomalies.]
"Oh yeah. I forget sometimes. You're not human, so you can't get sick."
[A robot can malfunction though. That's similar to sickness.]
"I suppose."
[So, can you come over?]
"Depends. Where do you live?"
[We've Inc.!]
"Yes, I know. That's your company, but where is that? That must be one big house..."
[You mean location?]
"Yes."
[Oh! I know what you mean! I live in Shibuya!]
"W-What?! Shibuya?!"
[Hm? What's wrong? Where do you live?]
"I live in... Sapporo..."
[Where's that?]
"Hokkaido, the northernmost island..."
[O-Oh... That's not close at all... Is it...?]
"Considering that driving would take around 15 hours, I don't think so..."
[So... I guess coming over to my house would be a bother after all? Sorry I asked.]
"I'll fly there then."
[Huh?! Fly?!]
"Yeah, in my private jet."
[You have a jet?!]
"I'm Hatsune Miku. Not to boast, but I make money through my name alone. I think paying for a jet and a pilot is well within my finances."
[Actually, I'm glad to hear that. I am totally stoked to meet you!]
"Same here, Rana. I'll leave in the morning tomorrow. I should arrive in Shibuya in a few hours."
[Okay! That sounds good! I'll see you tomorrow!]
"All right. See ya, Ra-"
[Wait! Hold on! Can you put Puchi back on the phone?]
"Hm? Puchi? Okay then. ... Puchi! Rana wants to speak to you again!"
"Really?! Okay! ... Hi Rana!"
[Hello Puchi! I really enjoyed the talk we had a few minutes ago.]
"Mmm! Me too! It was fun!"
[It was, wasn't it? Well, I gotta go now. Bye Puchi!]
"Bye!"
That phone call made Puchi so happy. It was really inconvenient that I had to tell my sisters that I was leaving the next morning for Shibuya. Puchi's happiness was replaced with concern when she heard that. Given that she is likely still sad, I am starting to regret calling Haku to babysit my sisters. Her depression might exacerbate Puchi's sadness. I needed to contact another potential babysitter. Unfortunately, my friends, the other Crypton vocaloids, were also busy for the weekend. Neru, was... Neru. She usually isn't the positive kind of character. So, I was left with only one choice. I decided to make a phone call from my cell. As I relaxed in my private jet, its course set for Shibuya, I called a good friend, someone who could be bit too happy at even the most unstimulating of circumstances. Right now, that uncontained happiness was needed.
"Hello? Teto? I have a favor to ask."
[Ah! Miku! What is this favor you so desperately wish for me to do?]
"Desperate?! How would you know?!"
[You always call me for these kinds of things. So, what's the favor?]
"Teto, I need you to watch over my little sisters for the weekend."
[The weekend? Where are you going?]
"Shibuya. I'm meeting with Rana."
[She lives that far? Wow. Rana certainly fits in there. That fashion is something.]
"Anyway, I initially asked Haku to watch them, but you know her. She's always depressed when there's nothing to be depressed about. Puchi is sad. Can you, you know, cheer her up?"
[You want me to watch over them, for the weekend, just to cheer up little Puchi? Sounds like a tall order. What's in it for me?]
"Teto! What kind of friend are you?!"
[A friend that's a Vipperloid.]
"I don't need your jokes right now!"
[Heheh. Sorry. It's hard not to troll for my kind.]
"Ughhh... If you do me this favor... I'll bring my sisters to your next concert! I'll watch too! And I'll pay for our tickets!"
[I was just going to ask you to lend me 10,000 yen, but that is an even sweeter deal! I'll hold you to that!] (Note: 10,000 yen is aprox. $81USD)
"Huh?! What?!"
[No take-backs!]
"Are you 8 (years old)?!"
"I'll come over to your house now! Bye Miku! Fufufu!"
"Wait!" Teto hung up. "Ughh! That twin-drills!" To think, a girl of her age would still act this way. She's 31. Unbelievable. Well, at least she's one to keep her word. I have at least that to thank Teto for. I know she is capable of lifting Puchi's mood while I'm gone. Still, I feel calling for a better babysitter is not enough.
"Ah! Since I'm meeting with one of Puchi's favorite Vocaloids, maybe I can ask Rana for a souvenir. A present from Rana will definitely lift Puchi's mood. Just wait, Puchi. A present from her will make you forget you were ever sad!"
Afterword:
I must've lost motivation after uploading "Intro Part 1." I wrote so much, I probably exhausted myself. I thought that if I waited a few weeks, I'd be fine to continue, but I guess those weeks turned into months in a flash. Some times I even thought I wouldn't continue. I have read fanfics that became incomplete because the authors could not continue for whatever reason. My fanfic could have become like that. But, I believe I have found new motivation to continue. There is more to the Vocaloid craze than Hatsune Miku and the rest of the Big 8. There are even more Vocaloids beyond the Big 8, several of those I really like. I guess one motivation is I wish to bring light to these less-appreciated Vocaloids. Search them up and take a listen to their voices! I am sure there are those that will love the deep voice of Nekomura Iroha or the sweet, soft voice of kokone.
Anyway, this was a short Part 2. Only 2,800 words. Well, turns out I actually wrote beyond the end of this Part. There will be one FINAL part to the Introduction. I will upload Part 3 next week. Once I complete Part 3, I will start the true Chapter 1, which I plan to upload a week after Part 3. Hopefully I will keep up with a weekly upload schedule.