Miku: Kaito nii-chan, is it true? You're narrating this time?!
Kaito: Yep. Wish me luck, Miku-chan.
Miku: *jumps for joy* Yay! Good luck!
Kaito: Elise-sensei does not own Vocaloid; she just writes stories about us. *bows* Enjoy!
Whistling to myself, I sat down on a bench holding two cans of soda. I had texted Miku earlier telling her to meet with me when she was done with work today. I knew she was working hard on her first album and that she deserved a little break.
Suddenly, I saw the flash of a camera and I couldn't help but grimace. If that was another photographer harassing me, my good mood was about to go down south. But instead, I heard a girl's voice mutter, "Darn, why'd the flash go off…?"
Chuckling, I called, "Trying to get a good photo again, Yuki-chan?"
A young girl with short black pigtails popped out from behind a vending machine, blushing from getting caught in the act. "Oh! Hi, Kaito-sama," she said shyly. Yuki Kaai was an adorable elementary school student and president of a small Vocaloid fan club. She often runs into me and Meiko, so we know her fairly well by this point. "Um, how come you have two cans?" she asked as she walked over.
"I'm waiting for someone," I answered as she sat down next to me on the bench. "And I told you, call me 'Kaito-san.'"
Yuki just shook her head. "I don't think so. Sooo… who are you waiting for?"
"Why do you wanna know?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"You just look a little happier, that's all," the young girl replied. "By the way, I met all the new Vocaloids last week. I like them."
"Glad to hear it," I said, smiling as I leaned back against the bench. "In that case, you can tell your fellow fans that Miku-chan and the others are working on their first albums right now."
"They are?! Yay!" Yuki cheered, hopping off the bench. "I gotta call the others right now! Bye, Kaito-sama!" And with that, she just took off. She could be such a funny kid.
"Here I am!" a voice called, and I looked to see Miku run up to me. "Sorry I'm a little late, I lost track of time."
I grinned at the sight of the teal-haired girl. "No worries, I know how busy you are," I replied as I handed her a soda. "Here you go. I didn't know what kind you liked, so I had to guess."
Miku took the soda and checked the label. "Good guess! I love strawberry soda!" She opened the soda and took a sip from it. "Now if you had gotten orange soda, Rin-chan would be all over it."
"She likes orange soda, eh?" I asked as I stood up and we started walking down the street.
"She likes orange anything, really," the girl replied. Suddenly, her nose twitched and she quickly covered her mouth before letting out a small sneeze.
"Gesundheit," I told her. "Either you're catching a cold, or someone's talking about you."
"I don't feel sick, so it's probably the latter," Miku replied.
Letting out a small laugh, I replied, "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised, what with all the attention you've been getting lately." My voice started getting a little rough, so I ended the sentence by clearing my throat.
Miku glanced over at me. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a dry throat," I replied before drinking some of my soda. She still gave me a concerned look. "Relax, I'm just a little dehydrated. It'll be better by tomorrow." Actually, I had a feeling I was coming down with something, but I didn't want to worry Miku when she had enough on her mind already.
Miku was silent for a few moments. "If you say so… Oh, so I've written a new song for the album."
"Oh yeah? What kind of song?" I asked curiously.
"Well, it's a slower, quieter song than usual," she began. "I call it 'Last Night, Good Night.'"
"Nice title," I commented. "I can't wait to hear it. I'm working on a new song, too."
"Really?!" Miku exclaimed. "What's it about?"
"Hmm, should I tell you…?" I muttered, pretending to think about it. "Nope, can't say. You'll have to wait until my single is released."
"Aww!" the teal-haired girl pouted. I was glad that she was getting a little more comfortable talking to me. At first, she could barely look at my face without blushing, but now we were having full-on conversations. I really enjoyed the time I spent with Miku, even if it wasn't very long.
Suddenly, an alarm on my phone went off and I checked it. "Man… Sorry Miku-chan, I have to get back to my apartment and work on the song."
"I understand," Miku replied with a nod. "You're pretty busy yourself. Let's walk back together!"
"Sure," I said with a smile, suddenly glad that we lived in the same apartment building. That meant that I could spend just a few more minutes with her. I'm not entirely sure why I'm always so happy to be around her, aside from the fact that she was an overall pleasant person to be around. Then again, she is kinda cute… I quickly shook those thoughts out of my head before they could go any further.
We continued talking until we reached her apartment, room 201. "Thanks for the soda, Kaito nii-chan. See you later!" Miku smiled.
"See you later, Miku-chan," I said, patting her head before heading back to the elevator.
My apartment, room 305, was only one floor up so I could've taken the stairs, but I guess I was feeling lazy that day. As I entered my apartment, I coughed a few times, my throat feeling pretty sore. It's probably nothing serious, I thought, but I made myself some tea anyway, just to soothe my throat.
Once my tea was ready, I sat down at my desk and got to work on the song. It was supposed to be a response to Miku's song "World Is Mine," and I already had the first few lines figured out. As I wrote the song, I couldn't help snickering at a few lines, but I managed to come up with a good response. I completely lost track of time and ended up dozing off.
…
I could hear my cell phone ringing, and my body felt sore from falling asleep at my desk. I felt strangely warm, and my throat was still scratchy. Nevertheless, I picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Kaito, did you just now wake up?!" Meiko's voice shouted, making me hold the phone away from my ear a bit.
"Yeah, why?" I replied, rubbing my eyes.
"You're late! You've got a meeting to discuss the single!" she shouted. "I'll try to stall them, but get your butt down here as soon as possible!"
My eyes flew open and I sat up immediately at her words. How could I have slept in like this?! This wasn't like me at all! I hung up, quickly changed clothes, grabbed the lyrics and dashed over to Crypton Records as fast as I could.
…
After the meeting ended, I breathed a huge (and somewhat raspy) sigh of relief. At least they liked the idea of a response song to "World Is Mine."
"You got lucky this time, Kaito," Meiko scolded. "But you owe me for covering for you."
"I'll buy you a drink tonight," I answered before coughing again. "Thanks for doing that."
Meiko suddenly stepped in front of me. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked. "You don't sound too good."
"I'm fine, my throat's a little dry," I replied, not technically lying since I wasn't able to get anything to eat or drink before the meeting. But in contrast to my words, I felt quite warm and even a little sluggish, now that the excitement had died down.
But I should've known that answer wouldn't fool Meiko. "Don't give me that. I've known you for a long time, I can tell when you're lying."
"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" I insisted as I walked past her only to run into someone coming around the corner. "? Miku-chan?"
"S-Sorry, Kaito nii-chan!" Miku blurted out as she bowed to me, her cheeks flushed.
"It's okay, but what are you doing here?" I asked as I steadied myself. "Don't you have school today?"
"Eh? Today's Sunday," Miku replied, tilting her head in confusion. "Are you feeling alright?"
Blinking slowly, it took me a second to reply. "Like I said yesterday, I'm…" My voice trailed off into several coughs.
It was then that I felt Meiko's hand on my forehead. "Baka! You've got a fever!" she exclaimed. "That's it, you're going back home! Miku, can you give me a hand?"
"Uh, sure," Miku replied as she took one arm and Meiko took the other. I allowed myself to be led back to my apartment, where I was gently shoved into bed by Meiko.
"Sheesh, you should've told me you were sick," the older woman scolded as I removed my shirt and scarf and slipped under the covers. "You've gotta take better care of yourself, you know that?"
"Got it," I mumbled, my voice low and raspy. "Sorry I worried you, Meiko."
Sighing, Meiko replied, "It's fine. You're my friend, it's my job to worry about you. Now I have to get back to work, but I'll have Miku take care of you, okay?" And before I could protest, she was out of my room in a flash. Once Meiko made up her mind, there was definitely no stopping her.
Meiko was right, I really should've just called off work. The thing is, I can be a little stubborn sometimes and I don't like people to worry about me, so that was why I denied being sick.
Miku came in a few minutes later, already blushing up to her ears. I guess I couldn't blame her, she was in a man's room. She hesitantly walked over to me and placed a cold, damp washcloth on my forehead. "H-Here, this should help a little."
"Thanks," I said quietly. "Sorry Meiko's making you do this."
"Er, i-it's no trouble at all, really," Miku stammered, not looking me in the eye. "Um, have you… have you taken any medicine?" When I shook my head, she said, "Then I'll go get some for you. Where do you keep it?"
"In the medicine cabinet in the bathroom," I answered, barely finishing the sentence before coughing again. When I stopped coughing, I continued, "Want me to show you?"
"N-No, that's okay! I'll find it myself," Miku responded, shaking her head quickly. "You stay put." She left the room and came back a few minutes later with a medicine bottle and a spoon. "Sorry, it took me a while to find everything. Can you sit up?"
Nodding, I sat up so I could take the medicine. Miku's whole face turned red at the sight of my bare chest, and she quickly looked away. "U-Um, Kaito nii-chan, your shirt…"
"Sorry, force of habit," I told her while clearing my throat. "I always sleep without a shirt."
"I see…" Miku replied, glancing back at me still red in the face. "A-Anyway, you should take your medicine." She poured some medicine into the spoon and held it out.
"? Spoon-feeding me?" I questioned.
"Y-Yeah… nii-chan always did that to me when I was sick," she explained. I have to admit, Miku looked really cute with those flushed cheeks.
Shrugging, I went along with it and leaned forward, opening my mouth so she could feed me the medicine. "Yuck," I grumbled after I had swallowed it.
Miku giggled at my reaction. "Oh, have you had anything to eat today?"
Shaking my head, I replied, "Didn't get a chance."
"Oh, then I'll make you some okayu," she piped up. "Just get some rest, alright? A-And prop yourself up a little with your pillows, that'll help your cough." And with that, she took off.
Following her advice, I grabbed an extra pillow from beside my bed and propped myself up before settling back under the covers. Deep down, I was glad that it was Miku taking care of me, and I liked that she was taking it so seriously. In retrospect, I probably should've worn a shirt so she wouldn't have been so uncomfortable at first.
I was almost asleep when Miku finally came back with a dinner tray and a steaming hot bowl of okayu. "Here you go," she said, setting the tray up next to my bed.
I slowly sat up and smiled at the teal-haired girl. "Thank you, Miku-chan," I told her. "So are you gonna spoon-feed me again?"
Her cheeks flushed again at the tease, but she answered me nonetheless. "O-Only if you want me to…"
"If you don't mind," I said with a small smile, slightly surprised that she took it seriously.
"Okay then, open wide," she said, holding out a spoonful of the rice porridge.
I leaned forward and ate it right out of the spoon, the warm feeling soothing my throat a bit. "Mmm… it's good."
"Really?" Miku asked shyly, and I nodded in reply. "I'm glad you like it." She kept feeding me until the food was gone. "Now you better get some sleep. I'll bring a fresh washcloth," she said as she took the cloth off my head and left the room.
Burying myself under the covers, I waited for her to come back, which didn't take very long. "Hey, Miku-chan… can you do something for me?"
"Sure," Miku replied hesitantly. "W-What is it?"
"Will you… Will you please sing for me?" I asked.
Her eyes grew wide at my request. "Y-You want me to… for real?!" When I nodded, she grinned. "O-Of course I will! I've got just the thing to help you sleep. It's that new song I told you about yesterday."
"Thanks," I said with a soft smile. After she placed the fresh washcloth on my forehead, Miku began singing a slow and very soothing song. My eyes slipped shut as she sang softly.
Suyasuya yume wo miteru (Sleeping soundly, I have a dream)
Kimi no yokogao (Of your profile)
Kidzukazu koboreta namida (Without noticing the overflowing tears)
Hoo wo tsutau (That are running down my cheeks)
Setsuna no tokimeki wo (I've hidden the heartrending)
Kono mune ni kakushiteta no (Throbs that are in this chest)
Last night, Good night
Last night, Good night
Kono yoru kimi no te (This night, I'll hold your)
Nigitte nemuru yo (Hand tight and go to sleep)
Oyasumi (Good night)
…
Meiko: Aww, he's asleep! Miku, you should probably pick up the narration for now.
Miku: Eh?! Alright, if you say so…
EliseArainai: Hey, no commentary in the middle of the chapter!
Miku and Meiko: Eek! Sorry!
…
By the time my song was finished, Kaito had fallen asleep. His sleeping face was so peaceful, so beautiful… I just wanted to reach out and stroke his cheek.
Whoa! Get a grip, Miku! I scolded myself mentally. It was bad enough that I almost got a nosebleed from seeing a shirtless Kaito, but that I was thinking of such things while he was sick was just… Urgh, I had no words for it!
But then I noticed that the washcloth had slid a little. Without thinking, I reached over to adjust it, lifting his bangs so the cloth would go under them.
As I was doing that, I couldn't help teasing his hair a little bit. It was so soft and silky; I silently wondered what kind of shampoo he used. My hand then slowly moved from his hair to his cheek. His skin was hot to the touch because of his fever, and it felt so smooth…
No! Bad Miku! I scolded myself again, yanking my hand away from the older man's face and looking away. Apparently, the word "self-control" wasn't in my vocabulary that day!
Suddenly, I heard a soft groan and something grabbed my wrist. I whipped around to see that Kaito, still asleep, had somehow reached out and taken my wrist in his hand. "U-Um, Kaito nii-chan, let go," I said, gently tugging my wrist.
"Mmm…" was all I got from Kaito, and he still didn't let go. It was actually kinda cute. Now that I thought about it, he hadn't touched me like this since the day we first met, when I thought that he was a kind older student from another school. That day, he held my hand as we raced to catch the bus before it left… I still hadn't forgotten his touch.
I wonder how Kaito nii-chan really sees me, I wondered as I knelt down beside his bed. Does he think I'm cute or fun to be around? Does he see me as a potential girlfriend, or just a co-worker? He's such a hard person to read sometimes… Regardless of my thoughts, I just gazed at Kaito's beautiful sleeping face before dozing off myself, my head lying on the side of his bed.
…
When I woke up again, it was around 4:00 in the afternoon. My hand was holding something, and I looked to see that Miku had fallen asleep next to my bed. Smiling to myself, I released her wrist and gently patted her head. I then noticed that a strand of hair had fallen in front of her forehead and I carefully tucked it behind her ear.
As I did that, Miku let out a soft moan and murmered, "…to nii-chan…" For a second I thought that I had woken her up, but she settled down after a few seconds.
She must've really been working hard lately, and now she had to take care of me… I felt kinda bad, in more ways than one. I made a mental note to myself to apologize for troubling her later. And also… I had to thank her for singing that song to me. I loved it, and I knew her fans would, too. "Thank you, Miku-chan," I whispered, patting her head once again.
Next time…
Rin: Our first album is almost done!
Len: Say, you think we should put those songs in there?
Rin: The response songs we just wrote? You really think we should?!
Len: It's worth a shot, princess. *wink*
Rin: Very well, then. Make it so, my loyal servant!
Next time: Track 8 – Daughter of Evil
Author's note: Miku's apartment number, 201, has a connection to the real-life Miku. (Well, sort of real life, but you know what I mean…) If anyone can guess it, I shall be very, very impressed! ^^
