❀ 4.10 - Tuning Session ❀
❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀
"Oh my god, are you alright?! Prairie?! Your eyes are rolling back, but is that out of joy or are you fainting?!"
It takes a second for me to register the pattern of the ceiling to Miu's lab and another for me to feel the numbness of my fingertips fade away. I flex them experimentally and allow my vision to focus.
My arm is no longer attached to the charging station, and instead lays beside me from where I'm laid out on the floor flat on my back. Nothing really hurts, save for a lingering pulsing ache in my ears and the space between my eyes.
As my eyes meet the frantic cyan irises of Kiibo, he relaxes and blows out a breath of relief…
Or well, he makes the sound of sighing. No real air actually comes out from what I can feel from our position on the ground with him leaning over my face. I suppose the sounds he makes comes from an electronic speaker in his throat and the resulting noises are the mimicry of human speech and mannerisms. I guess even the unholy sounds he was making moments before...could possibly be replicated by a talented enough person.
Perhaps by a person trying to cheese out of a promise made to an unfairly eyelash-blessed friend.
I mean...if I could copy the sound Kiibo made and "pretend" to sing for Rantaro, maybe he'll say "oh god no" and he'll just bake with me without my performance!
I just need to wear earplugs while I do it. And make sure my hair hides the fact I'm wearing them.
"You're okay, right? Did that machine do something to you? I noticed you fainted sometime during my singing showcase!" Kiibo says, making me look up at the machine I'm no longer attached to. It took thirteen minutes to charge my watch…
Bringing my wrist with the watch up to make sure I'm not making any crazy assumptions, I can see it's got a one hundred percent battery now. So what Kiibo's basically saying is that not only did he fail to hear my screams for mercy, but he also didn't notice I fainted almost ten minutes ago.
Amazing.
"Oh, a machine definitely did something. Wasn't that machine, but it was a machine," I say as pointedly as I can. "Can you actually hear yourself when you're singing?"
"Of course I can! How else do you think I can sing with such a steady control?" Kiibo retorts defensively with a suspicious look at me. "Are you implying something robophobic?"
"I'm not implying anything robophobic, I'm just saying you can't sing. Like at all. Do you know what a dying whale with a smoking problem on a broken microphone near it's speaker at max volume sounds like?" I ask as I stand up, using Kiibo to steady myself when he offers his hand despite his visibly perturbed expression.
"A dying what?! N-No!" Kiibo stammers, his tone becoming worked up the more I speak.
"Well, neither did I until now," I say plainly as I dust off my behind and fix my hair so it looks...less of a mess. Not that it's ever all that nicely put together- the curls tend to get frizzy and messy as the day progresses. With the snowfall going on "outside" in the courtyard, it's likely to get messier with the snow that melts on my head daily…
"Alright, so you just don't know enough about how to use your voice for singing yet, so teaching you how to identify notes and maybe some styles on how to manipulate your voice better should be easy enough. I'm going to go through a scale first, okay? Let me just check Miu's things to see if she has something we can use so you can hear how you-" I start, only for Kiibo to suddenly stomp a foot in objection. I jump just as I pick up something that looks like a ray gun with a screen attached to the top part of the device.
"Excuse me, but I know exactly how I sound. I could hit the high pitches just fine as is! I may not be as well trained as a professional superstar like you, but I fare pretty well, I'd like to think!" Kiibo defensively comments before something seems to occur to him that settles his irritation enough. "Oh, I have an idea! I think it'd be a good idea to get more than one opinion! The others may not be singers, but they at least have ears!"
I feel a strangled objection lodge itself in my throat, but before I can say anything, Kiibo turns and starts rushing out of the lab.
"Hey, wait! Kiibo, no! That's a really bad idea!" I call out, half tripping over the rolling chair by the computer and sending it falling to the ground. I turn to fix it, but eventually just scoff and leave it collapsed where it is. Between fixing a chair and catching up to Kiibo before he obliterates the ear drums of the others, I think my priorities lie in making sure ears don't start bleeding as bad as mine do after overusing my intuition.
By the time I make it out of the doorway of the lab, I see Kiibo marching halfway down the courtyard in the direction of the academy. He's moving fast, prompting my heart to lurch anxiously. I'm going to have to run to catch up to him- and fast if I want to stop him before he reaches the gymnasium.
"Hold-It-Right-There," a voice suddenly booms from above.
I let out a high pitched squeal of bewilderment the second an Exisal proceeds to crash land against the ground in my path. I pinwheel my arms so I don't slam into it, only to lose my balance and fall back on my behind hard against the unforgiving cold ground. I can feel the ice bite at my fingers as I push myself up on my feet and quickly dust off the snow, which is already beginning to melt into my coat.
At this point, I should have already been able to guess what it was...nothing that comes out of a speaker and sounds like one of the antagonistic Monokubs is ever a good sign in this place.
"What now?! Can't you see I'm in a hurry?" I demand heatedly, despite that Monodam within the green accented Exisal is obviously the one with the advantage in the situation. I probably shouldn't be talking to him like that, all things considered. He could swat me across the courtyard in eight different places with a single swing of his arm.
"Lock-The-Door-Behind-You," he simply says, gesturing towards the lab with the arm of his Exisal. I gape in disbelief, snorting crudely.
"Why? I'm coming back anyways! I'm just going to reason with Kiibo quickly and then jump back in so I can-" I object. Monodam cuts me off despite my reasoning.
"Lock-The-Door-Behind-You-Please. Or-You-May-Not-Leave."
Impatient to stop Kiibo from his dire mistake, I try to dart around the Exisal carelessly. Monodam cuts me off by slamming his Exisal's left arm against the snowy ground in front of me. It's close enough to feel the impact in the air, which flings snow in the air and all around us. Unfortunately, it gets all over me and I have to swipe off the cold material before my clothes absorb it.
Shoot, shoot, shoot! I'm wasting time here!
"You-Must-Always-Lock-The-Inventor-Lab-Once-You-Leave. No-Matter-If-You're-Returning. Accessibility-By-Others-Is-Only-Permitted-With-Your-Accompanied-Presence-Within," the green bear elaborates, making me growl under my breath and spin around to get to the door. I fumble with my keys but manage to lock the lab up, hearing the Exisal stomp away in a different direction once I test the knob to make sure it can't be opened.
I glance after the Exisal as I start in a sprint towards the academy, making a scrungy-faced scowl and sticking my tongue out after him to show my displeasure at our encounter. Thankfully, either the bear doesn't notice, or he chooses to ignore my attitude as I turn to speed up.
Kiibo is no longer in line of sight, even as I race past the entrance into the school. Upon my speedy entry, my left leg slides across the tile and slips upwards, causing a sharp yelp escaping me as I become airborne for a quick moment.
As quickly as I feel myself become weightless, gravity reclaims me and I slam hard enough onto my back to feel the breath in my lungs give out. Even with my breath loss, I'm hardwired to try and rescue the others. I roll over and climb up to my feet to veer clumsily down the school hallway.
It takes all too long for me to eventually reach the part of the hall leading down to the gym, letting out a shout that hardly goes above a raspy echo when I try to find both the words and my voice.
"K-Kiibo…!" I finally manage to call out as loud as I can muster, making the robot simply turn his head as he keeps marching towards the gym. The ever present scowl he's been wearing since I critiqued his singing in Miu's lab remains etched on his features.
"I'm going to get everyone else's opinion! If they agree with me that it's not as awful as you're dramatically framing it, you owe me a serious apology for your egregious robophobic bias and insults!" Kiibo simply states, making me shoot him an incredulous look.
"D-Did you even notice an Exisal nearly crushed me into a pancake just outside?!" I demand raspily, my temper flaring up when he simply continues towards the gym doors carelessly.
This is the second time he doesn't notice something happening to me! Before he was about as uptight over me putting myself in danger as Rantaro, and now that two dangerous things happened nearly in front of him, he's as oblivious as a sloth!
He wants to call me robophobic? Alright then! I'll give him the robophobia he wants then!
"You've called everyone robophobic at least two times each. For reasons that half of the time have nothing to do with you! Heck, you've demeaned yourself half of the time I've been around you!" I accuse, breaking into a cough and stopping once I see him pause.
The robot turns, his cyan eyes narrowing on me in vexation and blatant shock.
"'Demeaned myself'?! I have not!"
"Um, does the phrase 'fifty-nine ninety-nine with all my parts taken into consideration' ring any bells? Kiibo, you basically agreed with Kokichi that you're a material item that can be sold and not a real person- because, news flash? You don't put a price tag on people," I point out sharply with such a tinge of annoyance at his idiocy. His jaw drops open, but even that reaction isn't enough for me to stop. "You want to hear real robophobic remarks? Let's start with the fact you should find the crappy little potato chip they elmer-glued to your inner motherboard that controls multitasking, considering you can't walk and use your non-existent brain at the same time! You want me to replace it with a frito? Or maybe a dorito chip? We seemed to have both kinds in the dining hall last time I checked!"
"That's it! I'm suing you AND Kokichi when we get out of here! I've recorded everything you've just said and you better believe I will use it in court to make my argument!" Kiibo snaps, making my features twist up in a nasty glare.
"Fine. I'll just counter-sue you," I decide to say, even though I pretty much won't and I simply want to keep setting Kiibo on fire verbally to make myself feel better. As I speak, I walk to get to where he stands. "You know what for? For emotional damages and physical trauma to my ears. I'm telling you, you can't sing. I was screaming for you to STOP AND YOU DIDN'T HEAR ME. I FAINTED BECAUSE THE SOUNDS YOU MADE WERE LITERALLY PAINFUL AND HUMAN EARS ARE SENSITIVE. DO I NEED TO SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE? BASIC? IBM PC DOS?"
"I'm not listening to another word of this," Kiibo simply states, a mature ring in his tone that immediately keys me in on the shift in his gears. It's obvious he's decided I'm the immature one in this equation, and that he's the "bigger" person in the argument. He asked me for advice as a singer, and now that I've given him the truth, he's decided it isn't a truth he wants to accept.
I clear my throat free of the strain from both my earlier fall and my shouting, which I can't help but wonder if anyone else could hear. I can hear music playing inside the gym- likely for testing purposes of the sound system, so chances are that maybe my voice was drowned out considering it's not even at tip-top shape right now.
"You know what? You're right, you don't have to listen to another word out of me, I mean...what do I know, right? I can't remember my life as a singer and I've never sung in this dumpster fire of a school before anywaysl. Here, let me get the door for you!" I chirp as I swap my enraged attitude for a chipper one and step around him to open the gym door with a polite gesture. "Go ahead, sing your little metal heart out. Or in this case, screech your little metal heart out. You do whatever it is you feel like you need to do."
Kiibo walks in quickly, shooting me a curt leer as he raises his chin proudly and says, "Trust me, I will. And when they prove me right, I'll be waiting for your apology."
"Except they won't and I'll be waiting for yours, Model T-800. I'm sure you'll really blow them away. I'll get you set up on the mic, follow me!" I chirp, ignoring the stares I get as I dig my claws into the leather fabric between his hand and arm. I can feel a metal structure underneath it, but ignore the strange anatomical miracle of robotics to roughly drag him past the others and towards the sound stage.
"What's that? 'Model T-800'? Is that just the first random throwaway insult you could think of?" Kiibo huffs, though he doesn't fight me even as I dodge Angie and Tenko who try to come up to me and ask what we're doing. When I carelessly storm past them, they stop trying to approach me and quickly join in an animated whisper.
I stomp up the little steps to get on the stage, barely even blinking at the fact Kokichi happens to be the one tinkering with the microphone stand. As soon as he notices my movement straight towards him in his peripherals, he glances up and freezes at the sight of me. For the fraction of a second when he looks from Kiibo's irate face to my suspiciously-bright expression, he seems to realize I'm in a bad mood and raises both hands before backing away from us.
"Bystander is backing off..." the teen wisely states, though his step back goes entirely ignored as I stop beside him and flick the switch to the mic up. I roughly tap the top with my palm, mainly to make sure the sound comes from the speakers properly. When I hear the air puffs of my movement echo from the speakers behind us, I smile brightly and gesture to the mic for Kiibo.
"Lucky you, you have a stage to perform your test on! Good luck, astro-boy! And remember," I say as I drop my smile into something more sardonic and snappy. "Don't come crawling back to me for advice you clearly don't want or respect. And don't be surprised if they all decide to decommission you and turn you into a dusty gumball dispenser."
"I wouldn't crawl back to you even if you were right! Which you're NOT!" Kiibo shouts once I start storming off the stage, grabbing the mic when I'm too far for his regular voice to reach. "And no one but you is cold-hearted enough to even joke about turning me into a gumball dispenser!"
I turn and flash the robot a charming smile with the bird- something I've recently learned is much easier of a pill for me to swallow rather than verbally cursing like I've sometimes been pressed enough to do.
"Prairie?" I hear Rantaro call out from somewhere, but I also ignore him as I open the gym doors and shut it behind me with a forceful swing of my arm.
A second later when I'm almost halfway down the hall, Rantaro bursts out from the gym and runs the rest of the way to catch up with my storming figure. I hear him follow after me, obviously still confused with whatever transpired during the time Kiibo and I left the gym before.
"Hey, wait up a second!" He says, but I dodge his attempt at grabbing my wrist and speed up my own walk so he's forced to follow. When I continue to twist my arm out of his reach, he gives up trying to stop me for the most part.
I only stop walking once I reach the main entrance to the academy and step outside where the temperature is several degrees colder than inside. My temper doesn't go down even with the icy snowfall, so I just face Rantaro and make it clear I'm not happy.
"Seven," I huff, well aware of the heat of rage coating my features even as Rantaro studies me.
"What happened with Kiibo? Are you okay?" Rantaro asks, attempting to fix my wet and messy ponytail despite it being hopeless.
"He's stupid. And no, I could be better. Consider yourself lucky you didn't stay in the gym though," I comment, glancing behind him into the academy just as I feel his thumb brush against my lower lip. When he pulls his hand back a little, a thin layer of blood coats his finger. I must have split my lip when I fell, since I don't actually taste it in my mouth. Running my fingers over my lower lip, a sting makes itself known when I press on the tender area Rantaro touched. "Dang it. I fell when I was chasing after Kiibo. Either I got it then, or when I fell in the lab earlier."
"You fell twice? You're not hurt anywhere else are you? I know you're building up a gallery of bruises at this point, we need to find some kind of ointment for you," Rantaro sighs, making me frown with suspicion until he adds, "Remember the pool party Tenko set up before with Kirumi? Yeah, bikinis don't really cover much of the damage. I mean, they looked like they were starting to heal a bit, but…"
It's both surprisingly sweet and a little nerve wracking knowing he was looking at me back then during our fight. To think he was still keeping an eye on me even though we were furious with each other...but besides that, I feel the pain of embarrassment coming in late considering he saw me in a bikini at all. Somehow, it's a little worse than Kiibo and Shuichi looking at me like they did back then.
I'm never putting on a bikini ever again. I'll wear one of those zip-up surfer body suits to the pool next time!
"Sorry, that probably didn't come out right, I'm just-" He starts to say when he notices my discomfort, making me hold up a hand and wave him off as my temper fades away.
"No, I know what you mean. You were just making sure I'm alright," I say, wincing as I look back at the school when I hear a cacophony of screams rise in an echo from the distance. Rantaro's head swings around at the sound, even as it begins to die out into silence.
If I'm to guess on what's just happened, the people in the gym have probably dropped like flies at this point.
"What's-" he starts, until I pull on his arm when he begins to move towards the school again. I hold tightly, clearing my throat and shaking my head as his gaze falls back down to me.
"Don't. Trust me, it'll be over soon. They're not in danger from anything but the horrors of Kiibo's, uh…'singing'. If we could even call it that," I explain, making Rantaro crack a bit of an awkward smile as he looks back at the gym with pity. "I'm only sorry I didn't grab Tenko on the way out."
"Hm...Tenko, huh?" Rantaro muses thoughtfully.
His tone is what I notice first, making my spine straighten up immediately at the implicating playfulness that takes form in a subtle smile at his lips. Becoming defensive when he turns his head halfway to look at me, I raise an eyebrow up at him. I close off from his studious green eyes despite facing him head on and refusing to avert my gaze.
"What? What about her?" I ask, trying to play off that I don't notice his shift in tone or that anything is going on. How he's seemed to catch on to something I've just barely noticed myself regarding my feelings is terrifying, but I keep trying to save face as he grins a bit wider and looks away at the school.
"Nothing, don't worry about it," he responds somewhat smugly, causing me to scowl up at him and impulsively slap his arm pathetically without any real malice. "Hey, what did I do to deserve that?"
"You're nosy," I huff, pulling out my hair bow and letting my hair down so I can try to reorganize it into a proper high ponytail again. "Whatever it is you're grinning about like a doofus, you're absolutely wrong."
"I am?" He asks, though it's obvious he's not asking a real question. I finish tying my hair up, feeling him reach over to fix the bow and cheekily add. "So there's no reason you turned beet red and forgot how to talk to Tenko, right?"
"No…" I huff weakly, lowering my voice and feeling my features start to heat up again.
"...There's nothing wrong about it, if that's what you're worried about admitting. It's cute seeing how much you're trying to impress her and make her happy," Rantaro teases, causing the heat which was initially subtle to grow into a bold fire that I can't hide no matter what I do.
"Rantaro! I don't try to impress her, what are you talking about? Stop being embarrassing!" I complain, just as he breaks off into a laugh and pokes at my puffed up cheeks with a gloved hand. The cold is like frostbite against my cheeks at this point.
"So when we found the Aikido lab earlier, you weren't showing off to her by sending her flat on her back after she tossed Shuichi around like a doll?" Rantaro points out, making my face overheat more. "You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. You're going crazy over Tenko. I saw the stupid smiles you kept getting whenever you stopped decorating the beams to look for her, you know? It's a little obvious."
"I-I was what?!" I blurt out, even more embarrassed now. I was looking at her a lot? And I was smiling like an idiot?! I don't remember this! He's lying! "No, no, I was totally absorbed with decorating!"
"I'm sure you were. Decorating and staring at Tenko like a fish can be done simultaneously, I promise," he corrects me, still smiling in amusement.
I mean, I do remember spacing out a few times and noticing I was staring at her, but it was hardly notable and I thought I was just...zoned out! I don't remember making any wacky love-stricken faces!
Upon this realization, I feel a wave of vertigo roll over me and eventually find myself staring up at a ceiling- one which happens to be under the archway close to the school entrance, but not inside the school. Rantaro is also above me, smiling and watching as I blink away the weightless sensation of unconsciousness to hesitantly sit up.
"I won't say anything more, cross my heart. I didn't realize it would make you faint again," he half laughs, making me glance down to see he set down his jacket so I'd have somewhere comfy to regain consciousness rather than the cold hard floor. "And don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone. Just...you might wanna make sure not to wear your heart on your sleeve like that."
His smile fades as I get off of his jacket, picking it up and giving it back to him before he freezes to death. Sensing the change from his original playfulness, I try to meet his gaze as he slips his arms back into the jacket and fixes the fur lined hood. I hear voices in the hallway of the school, enough that he takes my hand and pulls me further away where anyone is bound to hear or see us. Once we're hidden behind a corner, still under the cover of the school grounds without being inside them, he stops us. I feel him put an arm around my back just as he starts speaking with a lowered voice.
"Listen," he starts, making me prepare myself for whatever he's about to say that needs to be private. "I don't want to taint anything for you. Your happiness...is my happiness. If we weren't stuck in a place like this, I wouldn't have to say something realistic. I wouldn't need to say anything pessimistic or forlorn."
My expression falls only a little, realizing what he's implying. It hurts, but I bite my lip and try to remember he's simply looking out for me- not trying to hurt me.
Still…
"Hold on tight. If you go in too deep...you know what you're risking. Anything could happen- to you or to her, god forbid. The pain of losing a loved one is crippling. It's wonderful to love someone, Prairie, but that love is also a potential advantage for the people looking to hurt you. If you run after her…" Rantaro pauses, clenching his jaw for a moment before he finally continues. "Monokuma will use it against you."
Yeah...no doubt he would, especially considering everything else good in my short-remembered life he's used against me thus far. Tenko would end up being the golden dart to hit the golden target that is me.
"If anyone looking to take advantage of the Golden Target motive learns that you're seriously falling for Tenko, they'll try going after her to get to you," Rantaro continues lowly, causing my stomach to churn more.
Kirumi could have used Kokichi against me before in a similar manner, but she hasn't so far. She could even try using Rantaro if she really wanted to. I don't know if she's dastardly enough to hurt someone else to get to me, but...the same probably can't be said for any other potential murderers.
I was riding cloud nine high enough where I wouldn't have to think about the repercussions of crushing on her. Back in the AV room when Kokichi and I were figuratively dancing around the topic, he even said it himself about my little crush on him.
"It's not a very good idea to get close to someone in a situation like ours. Someone could hurt you to hurt me…"
"Or on the other hand, you're in a position to hurt and take advantage of me."
"I won't let anything happen to her. Besides, she's tough enough to take on anyone that would want to try and hurt her. With me looking out for her on top of that, I think we'll be fine," I comment firmly as I meet his gaze, prompting Rantaro to relax and smile as he brushes my long side bang behind my ear.
"Have I told you that I'd do anything for you?" He asks with a grin, shooting me a playful wink and then pulling me in closer for a hug that makes me whine in embarrassment as I struggle against his coddling nature. Stupid Rantaro! "I'll make sure to watch your backs too, okay? For now, you go and enjoy every last minute of time with her. Just, uh...don't forget I exist or anything. Sharing is caring."
I give a happy little jump and turn to properly hug him just as I hear screaming and running students. As we separate and walk back towards the school entrance, I can see the others emerging out into the snowy courtyard post-haste. Maki is the first out of there, looking furious and holding her ears with a scowl.
"That...was not singing…!" Kaito barely manages to get out, just as I see Gonta running out with Kokichi slung over his shoulder.
"Hey!" I call out for their attention, causing the escapees to look in our direction as we join them out under the snowfall. "Are you guys okay?"
"You knew he would sound like that," Maki is first to say something, making me back away into Rantaro when she takes a less-than-friendly step in my direction. I wince in apology, holding up my hands in surrender to keep her hostility at bay.
"Er, yes...sorry, I was too mad and he'd have started 'singing' off the bat if I tried warning you guys beforehand. I'm not ashamed to say I put myself first over you guys, but in my defense, he blew out my ears for over ten minutes when I asked him to give me an example of what he could do."
Maki stares long and hard at me before she nods in reluctant acceptance, relaxing her tense shoulders and posture.
"Okay…" she says, making me sigh in relief. One less mark she can add to my name when it comes to things she doesn't like about me. "I'll only strangle you for one minute instead of five then."
She takes another step towards me and I huddle under a side of Rantaro's open jacket to hide. This time though, Kaito catches Maki's arm and holds her back with a nervous laugh, long enough for her to reconsider and give up on vengeance.
"Sorry again…!" I try to recover, even though she turns her back towards Rantaro and I to ignore our presence.
Eventually the rest of the students make their way out, the last of them being Kiibo and Angie- with the platinum haired girl in yellow visibly unperturbed by anything that might have transpired within the gymnasium. If anything, she looks far more lively and unaffected than the rest of the crowd, rubbing Kiibo's back as the distraught robot follows her down the steps of the school to join us.
"Okay, Kiibo! Just like we talked about with Atua!" Angie says to him, gently urging him in my direction with an angelic smile.
Kiibo looks at Angie dubiously before continuing towards me in a somewhat downtrodden walk.
Still pretty salty about his pushback from earlier, I huff and turn away to give him my back as he stops in front of Rantaro and I.
Rantaro looks mildly surprised when I peek up at him for a second, watching as I attempt not to look embarrassed by my own behavior. He eventually lets out a small awkward laugh of helplessness, reaching over to pull me closer and run a hand down the back of my head. He's trying to soften my irritation, but I remain steadfast in keeping my back to Kiibo defiantly- even though Rantaro's attempts at comforting me is sort of breaking the "unreasonable" air I'm trying to give off to the Ultimate Robot.
Unfortunately for Kiibo, my temper is still up at three though, so I don't want to look at him.
"Prairie...you were right. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you!" I hear the sound of his mechanisms before Rantaro takes a brisk step back with me, pulling me along in his sudden flash of mild panic. Bewildered by his reaction, I finally glance back to see Kiibo in a rather low bow that has Kokichi unable to resist a snort of amusement from the sidelines.
"Well don't headbutt her with your apology, Kiiboy," he chimes in, causing the robot to immediately straighten up. I feel Rantaro slightly tense up, but he eventually just relaxes when he realizes the robot isn't within unintentional-attacking range.
"Sorry! Um...if I haven't already ruined my chances, or if it's even possible to teach me...would you be willing to train me despite my recent mistakes?" Kiibo asks, looking only somewhat hopeful.
...My temper says to leave him out in the stupid snow to freeze his systems, but…
I sigh heavily and roll my eyes, turning away from Rantaro's comfort to grab Kiibo's metal arm and start dragging him back towards Miu's lab.
"Come on then," I huff as I pass the others, hearing Kiibo's sharp gasp of excitement and delight.
"I-Is it even possible to fix his voice? That was like...like a broken down car with a faulty alignment and a bad oil fix running without tires on a road made out of a chalkboard," Kaito remarks.
As I'm dragging Kiibo through the collective group gathering outside, my eyes find Tenko's for a fraction of a second. Long enough for her to return my gaze and smile before I avert my eyes in slight embarrassment. It'd be weird to stare at her too long...but if I could, I would.
Tenko's terribly pretty.
"Hey, can I come too? I wanna hear what Prairie Do-"
"No," I say darkly at the query from the familiar speaker, causing a sigh of resignation from the individual in the group.
"Aw, man…" he laments, as if really sad about it.
What, did he really think I'd say "yes"? Or was he just testing the waters to see my response after our last disastrous interaction? Whatever...I still hate him either way for how he's treated me.
Once we reach Miu's lab, I unlock the door and pull Kiibo in with me, only to feel someone quickly shove their way in behind him. Kiibo staggers into my back with a startled apology, just as I see Kokichi quickly wiggle past the two of us hastily. His eyes meet mine for a second, enough to see a mild flash of guilty impatience as he takes to crossing the lab when I hear another voice push past Kiibo. This time around, it's from Tenko who seems to be chasing after Kokichi.
"Get back here you rotten little weasel! She said you weren't welcome here!" Tenko barks, racing to the table in the middle of the room Kokichi is using as a border between him and Tenko.
"No! I wanna keep Kiiboy safe from Prairie Dog's scandalous inventive ideas! Besides, what if Kiiboy blows out her eardrums?! It's dangerous to leave the two to their devices alone!" Kokichi complains, dodging Tenko at every chance he gets.
"Wha- who are you worried about?! At least decide where your concerns lie before you barge into a room after us!" Kiibo complains, before Kokichi looks towards us. Even Tenko gives him a chance to explain himself, as if curious to hear his answer.
"My concerns lie with Prairie Dog! I want to protect her eardrums," Kokichi states, causing a scowl to form over Kiibo's face.
"But you also want to keep me safe from her inventive ideas?" Kiibo points out, before Kokichi quickly answers, "So Prairie Dog doesn't get punished for destroying you. I know you're not that special, but the others will get mad if you break."
Kiibo's objection of offense is comical, but he's quickly disregarded when Tenko starts chasing him around the lab again.
"Don't act as if you're concerned when you're the root cause of her pain right now! You're just lying to win back her feelings so you can break her heart again!" Tenko accuses, despite Kokichi insisting otherwise.
"I'm not! I totally regret what I did!"
I can't actually tell if he's telling the truth, but I assume so considering how he reacted alone in his room after our fight inside Gonta's lab. He really didn't like what he went and said in the heat of the moment…
Still, him and Tenko are pretty much all over the place now. After a second of staring at the duo, frankly gobsmacked by their dual forced entry, I see exactly where I went wrong.
I shouldn't have answered Kokichi at all in the first place.
"Kokichi, get out. And Tenko, didn't you say you were still going to help out Angie in the gym?" I ask, prompting her to pause in her hunt of the slippery leech to sigh and regard me.
"Well, Angie said we're gonna take five...times six. So that's a thirty minute break. Since I saw Kokichi following the two of you, I figured I'd just spend my break snapping the deluded midget in half for disobeying your wishes!" Tenko says, prompting me to crack a grin at the smile she flashes me. "Sorry for the intrusion, on that note."
"So...would you leave if you caught him then?"
I watch as Tenko blinks in surprise, the taller teen taking a moment to think about it.
"Um, I guess I would. I mean, I don't want to get in the way of your genius or anything! Why?" She asks, not quite understanding what I'm getting at.
With a subtle wry smile on my lips, I pull Kiibo towards the computer and shrug a little.
"No reason. You can leave him alone if you want," I half giggle, noting the way Kokichi stares cryptically in what looks to be mild confusion. I can see the gears in his head turning from the way he looks at me to Tenko and back.
Half of me wonders if he can tell I like her, and the other half hopes he can't. Rantaro could tell, and that's more people than I wanted knowing. For a little while, I want to keep this between Tenko and I- and not only because I'd like to respect her privacy about keeping her orientation under wraps.
Granted she has feelings for me like I have for her. As of right now, figuring out if I have a chance with her is the main goal.
I shake the mouse of Miu's computer, eventually tapping the spacebar on the keyboard to wake it up. Clicking over to the main desktop, I navigate through applications until I find something promising- a music note identifier.
"We can use that…" I murmur to myself as I feel an arm rest over the back of my chair. As soon as I open the application and turn to face the person resting their arm on the back of my chair- expecting it to be Kiibo- I'm instead met with Kokichi as he turns his attention from the computer to meet my gaze. Irritated seeing him so close to me, I regard the desk quickly until I find some papers I can roll up.
Sadly, I only manage to smack him once on the arm since he realizes my intentions and dances out of the way with a snicker of amusement.
I probably shouldn't do that if it amuses him.
Once he's out of the way, I latch onto Kiibo's arm and pull him over to take Kokichi's old place.
"Okay, Kiibo. Give me an 'A' sharp," I order calmly, watching the bar on the meter flicker across the notes even as we speak.
"'A' what…?" Kiibo questions in confusion, making me sigh and clear my throat.
"'A' sharp," I repeat before giving it some thought myself and producing a note using my voice. Looking at the scale, it immediately scrolls across the layout and lands on the 'A' sharp notch. Tenko hums in interest as she watches from behind my chair.
"Perfect pitch as usual! Prairie, you're amazing!" Tenko praises me, making the tips of my ears heat up until that heat threatens to climb over my cheeks as well. Thankfully, Kiibo speaks up in time to distract me from my predicament.
"So wait...I have to memorize notes to sing? I have to learn to read sheet music?" Kiibo asks in mild shock. "Like as if I'm learning to play a musical instrument?!"
"Ah, don't you get it, Kiiboy? She wants you to sing as a flute or clarinet soundbyte!" Kokichi laughs, causing Kiibo to blanch and look back as Kokichi spins another rolling chair towards us and stops beside mine- this time on the other side of me than he was before. He reclines back on it, grinning at the offended look on Kiibo's face. "You're gonna be her personal background music!"
"You don't have to memorize notes, I guess. I just think that it'd help. I mean, from the top of my head, I can tell what pitch or note something is and it's no problem for me. It's partly what helped me figure out what notes to play on a piano for Kaede when she tried to teach me once before. If it wasn't for the layout of the piano tripping me up, I probably could have learned with enough practi-" I start going off on a tangent before catching myself and stopping before I completely get off track. "Anyways, stop listening to the lying supreme idiot. You should know better by now, Kiibo."
"Hey, I'm no idiot!" Kokichi complains when Tenko smugly grins at him from the reflection of the computer screen.
"Actually, 'Lying Supreme Idiot' is the perfect title for you!" Tenko laughs, just as Kiibo finishes glancing over the meter bar as it continues to jump from note to note in our spoken word.
"Okay, let me try that 'A' sharp then. Holding a single note like that should be no problem for me," Kiibo says, straightening up and mentally preparing himself by the looks of it.
"Figuring out what notes you can replicate will also help us figure out your vocal range in singing too, so-" I start to explain, only to see Kokichi and Tenko already hurrying to raise their hands over their ears. I'm just about to follow suit until I remember it's necessary for me to be listening, prompting me to inhale deeply and prepare myself for what I'm hoping isn't total, ultimate demise.
Here we go.
Kokichi's eyes flick over to me curiously as Kiibo starts. He holds a note…
No.
It's the sound of a broken printer from the nineteen-nineties. It's a machine gun blowing bullets out of a tea kettle at max boiling point.
So no, it's not a note.
It's a demon from the lowestmost depths of hell screeching in agonizing torment.
Either way, my face scrunches in pain and I very quickly roll up my nearby papers again and this time wrathfully whack Kiibo until he shuts up.
"Ow, hey!" Kiibo complains, just as Tenko gives him a funny look.
"'Ow'? You mean you're so advanced you can even feel pain?" Tenko asks, looking at the visibly chastened robot inquisitively.
"I mean, no? Not physically, but- but I feel it in my heart!" He objects defensively, rubbing his arm where I whacked him a couple of times.
"What in god's name was that?" I ask, crossing my arms in my seat. "I asked you for an 'A' sharp and gave you a perfect example."
"Th-That was an 'A' sharp!"
"That meter went everywhere but 'A' sharp," Tenko interjects. "Don't question Prairie as if she doesn't know what she's doing!"
"Okay, okay," I say, calming Tenko before her emotions start getting excited. When I pat her hand over the back of my seat, she calms and relaxes enough for me to reach for the mouse again and open the second tab on the screen. "Let me just replay the recording of you I took. Just listen and watch the bar on the meter yourself," I comment, making a motion for Kokichi and Tenko to cover their ears.
Once the two have, I play the recording with a grimace and watch as Kiibo's face surprisingly scrunches up like he's eaten a sour pickled plum.
I stop the recording.
"I- I think the recording application is broken, that was definitely the sound of faulty machinery," Kiibo hesitantly speaks up, until Kokichi snorts loudly.
"No shit! Your vocal cords are faulty machinery! You sound like a Lovecraftian horror singing the song of his people!" Kokichi bluntly puts it.
"That bad?!" Kiibo asks horrified, cyan irises wavering in distress. "Ugh, how is that conceivably fixable then? There's no way I can sing with a voice like that!"
I tap my chin in thought, spinning around in my chair after Tenko has drifted to Kiibo's other side to rub his sulking back as a form of comfort. I only stop once an idea pops up in my head, facing the computer and letting the dizziness settle before I turn to face Kiibo and Tenko.
"Kiibo, you couldn't tell you were making those noises while trying to sing, right?" I ask.
"Yes. I thought I was singing properly this whole time...I mean, I've always considered becoming a pop star, but-"
"Maybe it's something to do with your system then. Do you think you can plug yourself in with the computer so I can see if everything is calibrated properly? I ask, even though I know that's a lot for me to ask.
I'm no computer or robotics analyst by any means, so there's no guarantee I'll find the issue of his singing or be able to solve it even if I do find it. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm asking him to plug in at all. Still...I don't want to give up too early if I can try to help.
"You think I can just plug into any machine at will?!" Kiibo asks, his sudden outburst of offense attracting the eyes of the equally unfazed Tenko and Kokichi.
"Does that mean you can't plug in then?" Tenko asks curiously.
"I-I mean, I can, but the assumption is totally robophobi-!"
"Well then, go plug yourself in, Kiiboy! Don't make us wait, we've been here for almost fifteen minutes! I could plug my Super Nintendo to my TV faster than you, hup to it! Hurry, hurry!" Kokichi rushes the robot, causing Kiibo to flail a bit in place before he snaps out of the pressure induced confusion and turns away from us to open a compartment in a part of his suit...or body? Who knows.
I don't wanna ask and incur his robo-wrath.
"O-Okay, I think you can find my files in the directory of the computer now. Please be careful with them though! Everything in there is me, so...a wrong move could essentially destroy the delicate balance of my digital existence," Kiibo explains to the visible confusion of Tenko.
"Your digital...existence?" She repeats, just before the true meaning of his words fully clicks in her mind. "WAIT. Are you saying that deleting a wrong file could basically KILL you?"
She looks on in horror as Kiibo sighs in affirmation.
"Yes. It could kill me, so be careful with them. I trust now that you're aware of the risks, you'll all make sure to run things through me before altering anything of particular or dubious importa-"
"Ooo~! What's this?" Kokichi excitedly blurts out, suddenly hijacking the mouse from my hand to open a directory reading "MEM_POOLSIDE_ ". As soon as I see the images loading, my heart hammers violently in my heart.
I knew I'd regret wearing that bikini for the rest of my life, even if it was just one time.
"..." Kokichi clicks out of the directory quietly, sitting back in his seat. "There goes another life point…"
"Life point"? What's he...oh, who cares.
Glancing at him with a dark scowl etched across my features, I can see he's keeping his gaze lasered to the keyboard- engrossed in not looking at me after all those memories of Kiibo seeing me, Tenko, Angie, and Himiko in our bikinis popped up. One even seemed to be a picture of Tenko laying down topless on a beach chair- and I can't for the life of me figure out why Kiibo needs a file full of images of just us there.
Going by the hostile air that's beginning to grow around Tenko, she clearly has some ideas.
"So is there any particular reason you have only bikini memories of us girls in a file, Kiibo?" I ask in mock curiosity, opening the file directory again to see everything in there. Something else greets me instead this time.
"Folder empty".
"W-What file?" Kiibo asks with a slight stammer as I hum and shrug innocently.
"What a funny coincidence, it's been deleted like it was never there. How mysterious," I continue with a slight bite to my cheerful tone.
He's not getting away with this that easily.
"Guess I ought to go through all of those extensive files myself to see if they've been moved-"
"Aah! I'm sorry! I swear I've deleted them, just go to the recycle bin of my system and empty it yourself!" Kiibo panics, half ready to beg if I'm to go by his reaction. "I have personal things in my system's memories, you know? You can't just poke around freely in there!"
"Can't I?" I ask, my gaze smoldering in quiet outrage that seems to make Kiibo hesitate to keep pushing back. Obviously he's realized he needs to pick his words very carefully right now, lest he set off both Tenko and myself.
"What could you possibly have in there that you'd be embarrassed about us seeing, you degenerate! You know, besides more bikini photos of us?! You're just embarrassed we'll catch you hiding them inside another folder! Or maybe you've been doing something worse- like spying on us in the bathrooms!"
Okay, that's going a little far, Tenko's starting to crucify him for something we can't possibly know is true or possible.
"N-No! I don't want photos of humans doing that! I just have PERSONAL stuff! Of me!" Kiibo insists.
"What, you sent nudes to some hot available laundry machines in your area?" Kokichi manages to speak up again, this time earning a sudden sputter of laughter out of me despite myself. I try to get a hold of my laughter to no avail, but then Tenko also lets out a sudden snort- and soon the three of us all burst into laughter.
Kiibo looks absolutely embarrassed, gritting his teeth in shame.
"Stop laughing, it's not that! It's nothing explicit, I just don't want you all to see my things! Least of all, Kokichi!" Kiibo complains as my laughter finally trails off.
"Okay, I'm gonna empty the recycling bin now. Next time, don't be a weirdo creeper, or it won't end well for you," I say, clicking through the directory until I have the recycling bin in sight. With two more clicks, I get it emptied out and start exploring the other files to see if I can find the code in charge of his voice. As I'm searching, I can see Kiibo's concerned expression from where he's standing on the other side of the table behind the computer monitor.
"Is that a threat? Prairie, that's not a threat, is it?"
"You should just be thankful that all it is right now is a threat!" Tenko huffs, turning her glare on Kiibo. "You only showed us how much of a sleazy male you are!"
I clear my throat, making Tenko calm a little when she notices my meaningful gaze. She clearly gets what I'm implying and eventually slouches and calms herself.
"I'm sorry…!" Kiibo repeats again, even though Tenko is already grumbling an apology as well.
"I'm sorry, too," she sighs, reaching up to run her hand along one of her pigtails and adjusting the styled links along it. "Besides that, do you have any idea how the heck Prairie's supposed to find what she's looking for? You seemed to know you had a recycling bin in your system, at least."
"No, not particularly. I'm sorry, I just know about the recycling bin and a few other file locations from Miu's management of my system and what she said she found prior to her departure. Other than that, I'm not even sure what could be found insiiiiiiiiirrrrffff…" Kiibo trails off awkwardly, lips and jaw going ajar in a rather disturbing manner that makes Tenko look on in horror and Kokichi snort in surprised laughter.
"Ah-ha. Found it," I say, grinning as Kiibo grabs at his face and looks towards me with cyan irises of both betrayal and horror. "Give me a second, I just needed to make sure this was the parent file I was looking for."
I return the folder for his language back to where I cut and removed the coding from, making Kiibo's jaw move back in place. He tests his control of it and then smacks his lips, eventually frowning my way in exasperation.
"A warning would have been nice."
"Huh? You mean like when you warned Tenko and I you would 'inadvertently' save pictures of us in bikinis?" I ask curiously. "Was it even 'inadvertent'?"
Kiibo pouts and turns away from me, giving me his back much like I had done to him before.
"Aww, Prairie Dog, I think you're being a little too hard on poor-"
"Shut up."
At my sharp response, one which sounds totally different from how I've spoken to both Kiibo and Tenko, he quickly falls silent.
I open a few files in the folder and then a file full of code, one that I quickly scroll through before closing my eyes discreetly for a moment to rebelliously use my intuition.
…
Once I have the "map" of directions my intuition has graciously offered me memorized, I sit up and stretch my arms enough to crack my shoulders and fingers together. Kokichi chuckles at the sight, but is wise enough to abide by my last snide comment.
"Okay, I'm going to save a backup of the original file here since I'm about to make a mess. I'll probably have to restore it to the backup file a couple of times until I get it right, so bear with me," I tell Kiibo, who hums in understanding.
"Alright. I'm ready," Kiibo confirms, taking a 'deep breath'.
I start altering the code.
A few times, it's really, really bad. I make Kiibo lose total control of his jaw to the point his tongue ends up flopping out past his lips uncontrollably, making him panic for quite a bit. When I'm reluctant to restore it to the backup in an effort to fix it with code myself, he ends up having an eternal half-grin pasted to his already messed features, making him complain unintelligibly until I restore it to the backup.
Another time, I delete the fetch command code that links to a separate file containing the English language, forcing him to speak pure Japanese once it's broken. I can't understand him, but it's...pretty funny when he is suddenly struck with the realization he can no longer understand English either at that point. A quick restore to the backup fixes this mistake yet again.
At one point, I actually end up making such an error that he forgets intonation and voice inflection to relay emotion.
"I'm going to sue you," Kiibo says monotonously, all the while Kokichi and Tenko are losing their sanity beside me in laughter. "I'm going to sue all of you. I know you did this on purpose. I will remember this, Prairie Marble."
I hold in my laughter, even though the trembling grin I'm trying to keep off of my face is at the brink of defeating my efforts. Still, I just hide behind the monitor and let Kokichi and Tenko enjoy the results of my bad coding.
"I can't take it…! I'm not good with tech, but this is incredible…!" Tenko huffs, a death grip on the backrest of my chair to help her stand.
"Please restore my backup file," Kiibo comments, before watching as I try to keep coding my way around the issue. "This was a mistake. I should have never plugged in when I know you lack computer knowledge. I regret this completely. My anger is beyond understanding."
Kokichi lets out a strangled gasp, desperate for air. He's laughing too much for it to be healthy, but who could blame him when Kiibo sounds like Monodam's long lost brother.
"K-Kiibo...should I take a left at the next intersection?" I can't help but ask in a trembling voice, only then giving in to the wheezing hysterics when Tenko lets out an uncontrollable shriek and buries her face in the back of my chair to control her laughter. Kokichi slides right out of his chair at this point, gasping and eventually managing to climb back up onto it clumsily.
"I will never forgive you for this," He responds monotonously, cyan irises wavering in emotion that his face is otherwise unable to convey- up until I mercifully restore the backup file and watch as he regains control of his facial movements. As soon as the surprise forms on his face, he scowls and falls to his knees with a scream of humiliation. "YOU THREE ARE IRREDEEMABLEEEEEEE!"
"Okay, no more jokes, but that's all I needed to play with to make sure where I needed to alter. I know which chunk of code I need to fix now," I say, much to Kiibo's dubious expression of total distrust. "I promise your expression, face, and vocals are safe now. I'm just going to alter how you control your pitch since it's a mess."
"This...almost feels like I'm cheating. Are you sure I can't learn how to sing like most people?" Kiibo asks, making me shake my head as I stare at the code and scroll through the important areas.
"No. Right now, the values for control are set low because you don't really need to hold notes or swing between many tones when you speak. I'm going to move them up and toggle the numerical values until we can get something that we can moderately work with, because when it comes down to it, you're a robot. Your code commands how you operate, and learning can only get you so far if you don't have the tools to work with," I explain, only looking up when I see his expression of uncertainty aimed towards the computer.
Maybe an analogy will help him understand.
"So like...it's like teaching someone how to make a fire with sticks, right? Right now I can teach you, but you don't have the tools to do it and therefore won't be able to sing. The equivalent is telling you how to make a fire, but not giving you the sticks to make the fire. Unless you can conjure the sticks up with your mind, a fire isn't happening. Likewise, singing won't happen until I give you the tools to sing in your coding- because right now, you only know how to talk and shift your voice to make emotional inflections," I elaborate, watching as understanding starts to form over his features.
My explanation seems to have calmed him enough for me to confidently start working.
"Well, okay. If you say so then, please take care of me," Kiibo says, smiling and putting his hands on his hips.
The sound of knocking catches us all off guard, just as the door opens to reveal Rantaro holding a bag up at us.
"You guys have been here for a long time, so I figured I'd bring snacks. How's it going with the singing?" Rantaro asks pleasantly, making my excitement suddenly skyrocket.
Before anyone can say anything or stop me, I repeat my last mistake purposefully and watch as Kiibo's smile fades into a flat expression.
"Prairie Marble, you put that code back how you found it this instant," Kiibo robotically comments, making Kokichi snicker wildly when he realizes what I've done. I turn to look back at Rantaro in eager excitement.
Rantaro raises his pierced eyebrow at my expression and eventually makes his way over to us by the computer, my legs swinging wildly back and forth in wiggly excitement.
"What did you do?" He inquires in confusion, before Kiibo speaks up to monotonously answer.
"She disabled my emotional response, but I can assure you I am entirely upset despite this tone of voice she has cursed me with."
Rantaro looks back at me, a patient smile forming across his features, when he realizes I'm eager to see his reaction. Something is telling me in the back of my head that he doesn't actually like what I've done.
"Prairie…" He starts in that tone of voice.
You know, the one he uses when he's being the more mature one around.
I puff up my cheeks at him, the excitement fading almost completely as I squirm in my chair and grab his hands after he sets the bag of snacks down.
"No, don't do that! You know it's hilarious! Deep down you definitely agree!" I insist, despite his exhausted sigh of resignation. I pout, watching his lips form in a slightly forced smile. He wants to be happy because I'm happy, but...clearly this is something he's not willing to condone. Even if it means making me sad.
"Prairie, please. Kiibo isn't a toy, fix him up or I'm not giving you the present I got you," Rantaro says, lifting a little box from inside the snack bag that immediately catches my attention. With such a taunt and bribe like that, I hesitate for just a moment. After debating in my head, I wiggle my fingers over the keyboard of the computer.
…
"Slight left and make a U-turn at the next traffic light. Prairie, I will see you in court," Kiibo says monotonously after I filter words into his mouth at the thought, this time feeling the spark of mad delight as I boldly go completely against Rantaro's wishes. Tenko and Kokichi of course find it hilarious, enough that their infectious joy makes me swing my legs wildly again.
However…
The look of disapproval that comes from Rantaro as a result of my immature behavior immediately makes me turn to revert Kiibo to the backup file before I deviously altered it, trying to look innocent and chastised properly even as I hear Kiibo stomp his foot. The robot is breathing heavily and angrily, but he says nothing since Rantaro is casting me such an intense look already.
"I'm sorry, Kiibo," I say in hopes of making Rantaro feel better, but my closest and oldest companion in the academy still looks pretty annoyed. Probably because he knows I'm not sorry at all.
I think the fact I'm apologizing to Kiibo to make Rantaro feel better and not apologizing to Kiibo to make Kiibo feel better is what makes him reluctant to avert his disapproving gaze.
I see Rantaro pocket the little box as he straightens up, prompting me to sulk a little. Still, I try not to feel too bad about it. He'll give it to me eventually if it's a gift, I just need to be extra good and not bully anyone.
"On another note, I did figure out the code I need to alter so Kiibo can sing!" I brightly state, turning my chair away from Rantaro so I can face the computer again. Half of this is to show off my brains, the other half is so I can escape the suffocating look he hasn't stopped giving me.
I fix a couple of the values and eventually open the tab containing the note meter and watching as sounds make it flicker slightly.
"Okay, Kiibo, can we try that 'A' sharp again?" I ask, watching as Kiibo seems to calm a little when he sees my half desperate look. I clear my voice and give an example, holding an 'A' sharp enough for the note meter to land on the proper note.
Kiibo composes himself, and opens his mouth. In an instant, Tenko and Kokichi clap their hands over their ears much to Rantaro's confusion.
When Kiibo makes an 'A' sharp and the meter falls on the proper note as a result, Tenko's eyebrows raise and she removes her hands from her ears to listen. Similar to the note I made, he's managed to do it successfully without making it sound like a trainwreck at all.
"Oh my god!" Tenko gapes, jumping to grab my arm and grin. "You did it! You fixed him!"
"Now we don't have to worry about Kiiboy bursting our eardrums anymore~" Kokichi cheerfully comments, extracting a sandwich in plastic wrap from the bag and quickly opening it up to start snacking.
"I don't have much of a baseline for how he sounded prior to fixing him, but making an assumption from Kaito's description of Kiibo's singing back in the gym...I guess this is much better than it was before," Rantaro comments thoughtfully.
"How about some other notes? Can we test a lower note just to be sure he can hold more than one note? Let's try Do-Re-Mi," Tenko suggests as she joins Kokichi in eating one of the sandwiches Rantaro made for us, making me look up at Kiibo.
"That's a good idea. You got that, right? Try singing Do-Re-Mi as best as you can," I say, the three of us beside the computer watching as the meter settles following my silence after speaking.
When Kiibo follows suit with the notes, the meter lands on each passing note with a steady hold.
Yes! He's able to hold notes now! None of that broken down car on a chalkboard road noise he would make before!
"Okay, looks like you should be good to go, Kiibo!" I chirp, leaning back in my chair at a job well done.
"Tha-Aa-nk yo-OUU-uu, Pr-" Kiibo starts before slapping a hand over his mouth in horror.
My proud smile suddenly dissolves, contorting into a flat look of shock.
Oh no.
"WhaA-At Ii-izZ thii-iisS, PRA-ii-rriiEE? WhY-Ai iI-iZZ mY-Y voi-Oice La-AI-ke thii-IS?" Kiibo asks, distraught. His voice has taken on a synthesized quality much like it's been put through autotune, inflecting pitch changes where there shouldn't be any and a musical edge that makes Kokichi suddenly fall out of his seat again, this time with his sandwich. Tenko, on the other hand, sets her sandwich aside and buries her face into my chair backrest again, this time screaming into the fabric of the seat to stop her laughter unsuccessfully.
Embarrassment makes a flash of warmth rise up to my cheeks, prompting me to grab my hair and pull the ends over my lower jaw. I wasn't supposed to screw up in front of Rantaro, I said I had this handled after he chastised me for torturing Kiibo!
"I knew coming here would be worth it-" Kokichi chokes out, crumpled on the floor when I look over the side of my chair to make sure he's okay.
I risk a peek at the quiet one beside me, even though I know what's waiting for me. When my eyes land on Rantaro, he's staring at me in that familiar critical way. That look of disapproval from before has returned full force, and I half flinch under the pressure of his accusatory gaze.
"No! No, no, no, this wasn't on purpose! I had no idea he'd go full autotune! Don't look at me like that, I'm not being naughty this time, I swear!" I panic, scrambling to turn back to the computer and fix whatever must have happened while altering the values to his code. "M-Maybe when I did the edit, it ended up altering the way he controls his speaking voice too. But if that's how it works, then I'll have to give the folder two files he can switch between when he wants to speak and sing..."
I look over the computer monitor to see Kiibo's frustrated expression, though he seems less upset with me this time around. The robot instead keeps his scalding gaze on Kokichi and Tenko, since they're not holding anything back when it comes to finding amusement at the expense of his grief.
"Is two files doable to switch between? Can it even work like that?" I ask, making Kiibo look my way and give me a serious thumbs up.
Seems like he doesn't want to speak anymore now that he knows what will come out of his mouth...
I restore the original file to the backup and then copy it, altering it to Kiibo's singing settings before tweaking just a few little kinks in the code. I pause and discreetly close my eyes for a moment, only opening them to fix a few more details and promptly looking back over the monitor at the robot.
"Say something?" I request, watching as Kiibo hesitantly opens his mouth.
"Um...something. Oh thank god," he sighs in relief when his voice comes out normally. "So I can sing now, right?"
"Yeah, just give me anything. Let's see how you sound," I say, watching him smile confidently and straighten up to compose himself.
When Kiibo starts singing this time, it's pleasant. It's nothing that people would drop in awe over, but it's nice to listen to. It's actual singing. Even Kiibo looks absolutely elated by the sound of his voice, since I made an effort to try fixing how he heard himself in the beginning.
"And done~" I sigh in relief, turning my attention to the snack bag to find my own sandwich.
"You know...after all the torture you put me through, you still haven't really sang anything for us so far and this is supposed to be singing practice. Don't you want to prepare yourself for Himiko's birthday performance?" Kiibo asks innocently, prompting Kokichi to blink in surprise.
"Wait, Prairie Dog's performing? Not you, Kiiboy?" Kokichi asks, confusion evident in his features as he looks from me to Kiibo and back. Kiibo ignores him, keeping his cyan gaze glued to me when my jaw tenses and I shoot him a warning look. He's doing this because I tortured him…
But I think he forgot why I'm being a little cold in the first place.
"I mean, maybe you should try singing something for us now. You're the professional after all-"
"Hey, Rantaro. You wanna know what we found saved in Kiibo's files earlier? It was something he kept handy for himself, I'll tell you that," I brightly chirp, feeling Tenko raise her head.
"Oh, that's right. Rantaro would probably enjoy hearing that you saved something like that! Go on, Sweetheart, tell him what we found," Tenko insists, making Kiibo begin to panic and hold up his hands.
"O-On second thought, I take that back. You sing whenever you feel comfortable, okay? I'm gonna go now! Thank you for the help!" Kiibo scrambles to respond, unplugging from the computer hastily and already flying out the door as he's shutting the part of his suit he had opened.
…
"What did he have saved in his files?" Rantaro can't resist asking, making me quickly wave his query away since I have no intention of answering anyways. For now, I have a permanent card in case I need Kiibo's help in the future.
"Ah, don't worry about tha-" I start to say.
"He saved some poolside photos of Prairie in her cute pink bikini!" Kokichi easily blurts out, which is more than enough for regret to settle in. Regret for letting him stay rather than just asking Tenko to stay after throwing him out. Regret for the fact that even if she did that, he'd probably just lockpick his way back in.
Regret for the leech existing in the first place.
If he was equating lost life points to my loss of respect towards him, then Kokichi is right. There goes another life point.
Before I start thinking of a way I can calm Rantaro down when I see his expression darken beside me, I take off the bread of my sandwich with mustard slathered over the inside.
I calmly turn to face Kokichi and easily push it right against his face without hesitation.
❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀
❀ End of 4.10 - Tuning Session ❀P