I swallow.

"Good, Rin," Ms. Ann says. "You've played - how long?"

It was on the application, wasn't it? "Since I was six."

"And your mother taught you?"

I nod briefly, lowering my gaze to the keyboards. The pianos here are wonderful - large, grand things that emit the sweetest sounds that I've ever heard. My hands are still splayed over the keys, so I gather them and put them on my lap.

I do enjoy piano, but I hadn't really played it until mommy and I came to Japan. It was difficult to play, before.

I shake my head and concentrate on what Ms. Ann is saying. She's a tall, graceful woman, her long blonde hair pushed back with a headband and foaming down her back. Mr. Al said that she's to be my 'counselor' for year, and Gumiya's as well. She will explain about the school and help us through the process writing up our schedules for the year, and she will be the person we go to when we have problems or questions regarding our classes. Our advisor, in comparison, will be the teacher of the homeroom we are sorted into. Mr. Al explained that homerooms are sorted by age, and that each age group has eight homerooms.

"We'll put you into Piano 3B, then," she says, quickly filling out a sheet and handing it to me. Taking it, I see that it's just a basic impression of what my playing was like and what material 'Dr. Namine', my teacher, should cover. "I see you're one of our more academic students."

I look up at my counselor. I must've looked quite baffled, since Ms. Ann smiles and explains further.

"Some students choose to take only the three absolutely necessary classes, and fill up the five other classes with music, arts, or physical education classes. Some only take a few and go further with their academic classes. Like you; you're taking piano and you're trying out for choir, but that's it for music. No art, one phys-ed course. You haven't chosen yet?"

I shake my head, lowering my gaze to the floor. Ms. Ann's silver heels glint - she's a very elegant, stylish kind of woman. "I - I'm not allowed to participate in activities I might hurt myself in."

There's a light of understanding in Ms. Ann's eyes. "You could try dance. What do you think, Gumiya?"

Gumiya blinks, face blank. "Well. Eh. Introductory?"

I wince. Clearly I upset him quite badly when I was upset. Though even with my ignorance about people, I thought it was as impolite to continuously ignore and subtly insult people who are trying to apologize as it is to force someone out of the room and lock them out. Are those two not similarly intruding social customs?

"Manners," Ms. Ann says, then turns back to me. "The majority of students tend to take four academic classes, two or three musics, then fill the rest with art and phys-ed. Some students choose to take the bare minimum of actual studying and load themselves with art courses and after-school activities. Like Gumiya here. You're taking..." Ms. Ann's tailored eyebrow hitches up. "Dance, cello, ukulele, bass guitar, percussion. Plus you're trying out for three different sports. Are you studying at all?"

Gumiya seems to crack a grin, which surprises me. All this time he has been wearing various masks - bored, apathetic, tired, wary, disturbed. "I'm taking the required classes, for me. I'll probably be dropping ukulele, and take two dance classes instead. I actually had my dance audition while... Y'know."

While I was at the nurse's. My gaze drops a few more centimeters.

"You're... Ah." Ms. Ann seems to understand. "You've been allowed to skip Japanese this year?"

"As long as I meet the standards before I graduate," he says. "I've already covered the material up to where the required class would cover. I entered school early."

"I see," the tall woman glances over at me, blue eyes sharp and bright. "Would't you be able to do that?"

I've never heard of anything of the sort until now. Perhaps mommy forgot; I have to admit that she's not the most organized of people. "I don't know."

"You're from Canada. Ontario, was it? Is it reasonable to assume that your English is... Well, good?"

I hesitate, then nod. "I think so."

"Would you like me to try and get you out of your English classes?" Ms. Ann asks. "My son takes Spanish instead. Or you could choose to take one of the other foreign languages - French or Mandarin Chinese, or take another class entirely."

I'm not sure at first, but eventually decide that there won't be any harm in it. "Yes please, thank you."

Ms. Ann nods briskly, taking back my sheet and scribbling something on it before looking over Gumiya's profile sheet again. "You said you're trying out for piano?"

Gumiya nods, coming over to the piano. He stands there for almost a whole minute until I realize what he wants and hurriedly go back to my seat. I'm not used to dealing with people, and it is harder to go about doing it than I would've believed. But I do know that enemies are dangerous, so I must somehow make Gumiya less angry with me.

Gumiya glances at Ms. Ann, who nods. And then he dives straight into what I realize is Mozart's KV 617. As I listen, I realize that Gumiya is very, very good, far better than me, in fact. Ms. Ann obviously realizes this too, as her gaze turns contemplative and almost a little wistful.

Brushing a strand of blonde hair out of my eyes, I feel the bandage that Miss Mew put on my cut. After around an hour of switching between interrogating me and being almost excessively protective, she'd pronounced that I had neither a concussion or a broken bone and that the only things that I had to worry about was the cut and the bruise that darkened into life soon afterward.

"Just concentrate on maintaining that pretty face," she'd ordered me, perfect black fingernails tapping away at the keyboard as she wrote up some kind of form for my emergency visit.

I believe it was supposed to be funny or warmhearted or a comment along the lines of 'I like you and I want you to trust me and I hope to get close with you'. I smiled back at her.

I shake my head and concentrate on the last echoing notes of Gumiya's performance. He stands up, pushes his glasses up his nose. Ms. Ann says something congratulatory and he smiles, glances at me briefly.

He looks... Smug. That's not very nice.

"Class... 3A then, yes?" asks Ms. Ann, scribbling busily. "Or do you already have a class for Third?"

Gumiya consults his hastily-drawn up schedule. I glance at mine; Big Al came and gave it to me when I was ready to leave the nurse's office, while Gumiya seems to have gotten it when he was having his earlier auditions. Apparently it was a rough draft for a final schedules, just there so that our teachers would be able to see which blocks were empty for us and

"Not yet," Gumiya responds.

"Good.. 3A." Ms. Ann gives the form to Gumiya and turns to face both of us. "Now - Gumiya, you've got cello auditions, and Rin, you can stay here with me for your choir audition."

I nod slightly. Gumiya immediately grabs his backpack and heads out of the room, strides long and purposeful as if he knows exactly where he's going. And, I suppose, he does. He seems to know the school perfectly.

"Ever sung in a choir before?"

I turn. Ms. Ann is sitting in front of the piano now, long, elegant fingers resting on the keyboards. She reaches down and retrieves a folder from a large pile on the ground.

I shake my head.

"Well, then, let's warm up, then see your range. After that, we'll try out a few songs and see how you handle it."

Without further ado, Ms. Ann launches straight into warm-ups, her rich voice leading. I'm not quite... Sure about my singing; I used to sing a lot when I was little, but it's only recently in preparation for this school that I've started again, and I've afraid I'm more than a little rusty.

I suppose it wouldn't matter, would it?

"Test's over. Put down your pencils, please!"

I put down my pencil and gather my hands in my lap. The silver-haired teacher gathers up our answer sheets for our Mathematics entry test. Stacking them on his desk, he assures us that the teachers will grade them and place us in classes A, B, or C.

"If any of you happen to fail to meet the standards for class C, you'll be placed in a lower year group," he informs us, voice flat and unfeeling. "Or listen to extra classes. On the other hand, if your level is far above the A for this year class, you will have the choice of joining the next year class or not taking the Mathematics class this year."

A bell rings - a beautiful orchestral rendition of Für Elise. The teacher - Mr. Honne Dell, I think - keeps us for a further five minutes, however, explaining the education system of Vocaloid Academy.

"That's it... I believe," the man collapses into a chair behind his large teacher's desk. "I trust you all know to follow the red arrows for the cafeteria?"

With a collective murmur of ascent, the two - or maybe three? - dozen new students slowly trickle out of the classroom, some of them already talking with each other, friendly, familiar.

I slide my arms into the puffy sleeves of my parka and remember that I'm supposed to change into the uniform. Up until now, I'd been so busy with auditions and tests and a panic attack that I hadn't had a chance to change. Everyone else was already all shades of black and white and gray with their ties pinpoints of color.

Clutching the package of clothing, I walk out of the classroom and manage to find a restroom - Ms. Ann told me that the blue arrows would lead to a restroom, red would lead to the cafeteria, and yellow would lead to the main theater. It would be wise to remember that, I suppose.

I don't usually wear skirts.

When I've finished changing, I take the clothes that I was wearing - parka, jeans, sweater - and store it in my locker, which Big Al pointed out for me in passing.

Then I follow the red arrow.

It's a few floors down, in what I guess would be the basement floor. The corridors are deserted, I guess that everyone is in the cafeteria, already eating. I think that, and let it slip away - I don't consider how many people is everyone.

The small red arrows converge at one big red arrow, pointing towards a pair uhmm of large opaque glass doors. Carefully, I check that the sticker says 'pull' and tug on the cool metal handle.

This... Is the cafeteria.

It's an expansive, high-ceilinged room, with the far right and left walls made completely of glass, circular red benches scattered all throughout. At the far side is a large counter and lines for food, vending machines and soda machines, trash cans and people, people, people.

For a moment I stand dumbfounded, staring at the hordes of students walking to and fro, teachers scattered amongst them in twos and threes, carrying red trays stacked high with food, talking, bumping into each other, tripping, laughing, shouting, fighting - it's more people than I've ever seen in one place, and it's just a bit too much.

I duck out of the cafeteria and stand right next to the doors, wondering what I should do now. It would elicit attention - unwanted, no less - if I skipped lunch, but - would anyone miss me?

I am new. And small. Easy to overlook, judging by the other students' actions. Will I risk it?

A girl barrels past me, throwing the doors open with a loud bang with her red curls jiggling. I blink; a moment later, she pokes her head out of the cafeteria.

"You're not allowed out of the cafeteria until twelve thirty," she says. She's short, with firetruck-red hair tied in two twirly screwed-up shapes at either side of her head. I recall that I saw her earlier, with two other girls. Yes - she's the one with the bright red tie, although it seems to be moments away from flying away, so loosely tied it is.

Thinking all this, I fail to find an appropriate answer for this girl. I cannot tell her that the cafeteria scares me. So I just look at her, painfully aware that it's something socially wrong and extremely awkward.

The girl blinks, then flashes me a huge, toothy smile. "Hey, you're a newbie, aren't ya? I'm Teto. Kasane Teto."

I nod cautiously, remembering her name from the list in the Administrations office. "Kagamine Rin."

Before I have a chance to step away, Teto lunges for my hand and gives it a rather forceful, exuberant shake. "Nice to meet you, Rin! I hear that there's lasagna, and that's always yummers. C'mon!"

She crashes into the door again, pushing rather than pulling, and drags me behind her. "It's not good for your record if you miss lunch, gal. Trust me!"

Under the loud instruction of Kasane Teto I pay for my lasagna and orange juice and stand in line for water. She seems to be aghast at my choice; the small girl stacked her tray with a large serving of lasagna, two cans of coke, six cookies, two brownies, a ham-and-cheese sandwich, and two apples. In all honesty, I've never seen a girl eat so much in one sitting, but I guess that maybe she's saving some of it for later.

"Tetooooo - "

A pink-haired girl appears behind Teto, face timidly curious and plate piled with lasagna and a number of different peach products.

"Momo!" Teto squeals, nearly dropping her tray. "Where did you come out of?" She says it like a declaration rather than a question.

Momo shrugs and smiles a little. "Defoko's waiting."

Teto turns to face me. "Rin - "

I hesitate. As helpful as Teto has been, I feel uncomfortable around her - well, I feel uncomfortable around everyone at this point - and I do not wish to intrude in her friendship. After all, I just want to be part of the backdrop here; overlooked, invisible. "It's fine. Thank you, Teto."

The girl looks a little doubtful but she waves brightly and walks off with Momo.

When I finally get my water - there's only two water fountains and far too many people who want to get a drink, I look around, wondering whether there's anywhere to sit. There's an empty table at the far right wall, so I head right over to it and plop down, settle my backpack next to me.

I can see everyone from here.

Mommy told me not to be lonely.

I sit at the table, eat my lasagna, and realize that no, I don't feel particularly lonely. I'm too used to this - eating alone, never talking with anyone else unless I'm spoken to.

Being around such a large variety of people -

It's a privilege, and it is not one I plan to lose anytime soon.

Ehhr yeah, kind of late. Hope you enjoyed! :D