—Mysterious Melody—

Miku entered the lobby and made a beeline for Lloyd. He quirked an eyebrow when she didn't hand him any money. "Everything alright, Miss Miku?"

"Who was that girl here earlier?"

His other eyebrow rose and she sighed. It was a stupid question, of course, given that there were always girls coming through the lobby. It was a wonder he had managed to learn most of their names in the few months he'd been here.

There had only been one girl here today-or ever, really-who had piqued her interest enough for her to get onto the wrong elevator just to be able to get a good look at her. After the pink-haired girl had gotten off on her floor, Miku had returned to the lobby only to find that Lloyd had left his post and it was only just now that she had been able to get a moment to speak with him.

"Pink hair? Tall and slender? Great skin even without makeup?" she tried.

The man's brow furrowed and Miku was about to tell him to forget about it when realization brightened his expression. "Oh. You mean the kid. She's always here."

The green-haired woman blanched. She had looked young, but hearing him call her a kid was doubly worrying. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about her, would you?"

"Real quiet, that one. She comes here at least once a week and asks for a girl around her age. Pays cash and doesn't need any clean-up afterwards, though she does always request a stool."

"A stool?" Miku echoed. That wasn't the strangest of requests, but it was still a cause for questions.

"I don't know anything else. You'd have to ask her dates."

"What about a name?"

"I just call her "kid," honestly." Lloyd looked her over. "Why are you asking so many questions anyway?"

Miku frowned. "She went to the fifth floor."

He shrugged. "She wants cheap, she gets cheap."

The girls on the 5th floor and lower may have costed the least in terms of cash, but there were a lot more costly things at stake...

"Send her to me next time. I'll cover the difference."

Lloyd's eyebrows rose again. "You sweet on this kid or something, Miku?"

"I've never even seen her before today," was her honest response.

Miku had been getting a lot of house calls lately-which was fine, but she didn't drive so sometimes it was inconvenient to navigate public transportation. The travel bag slung over her shoulder was full of sex toys and the soiled clothing she had changed out of and she clutched it close to her side as she boarded a train.

The woman pulled out her phone and consulted her schedule, then glanced at the subway map to plan her route accordingly. It was nearly 3pm by the time she made it to her next date and, upon knocking on the door, she was at once swept into a bear hug.

"Miku, darling, it's SO good to see you!"

This was a rather odd regular of hers. Though the brothel only served women, Gerald, a budding artist, scheduled her weekly for a modeling session. "He" identified as a woman and as long as there was no funny business and payment was made, the boss didn't care who she spent her time with.

"Hey, love. How are you?"

"You're just in time to save my life. Come, come."

Gerald ushered her upstairs, into her studio, where she had set up her canvas. The room was controlled chaos as always, though Miku spied a few new pieces Lawrence had added to a growing collection.

"Would you be a dear?"

Miku obediently went to the chaise and made herself comfortable. Gerald eyed her critically before coming over and arranging her properly.

"Okay, now hold still..."

Miku breathed slowly, trying her best to hold still. The sound of graphite on canvas was soothing and her mind wandered. What was Luka doing right now? Did she have quiet moments like this?

"You got some tea for me, Mama?"

She angled her head without thinking, quickly readjusting when Gerald made a sound of protest. "What do you mean?"

"Something's obviously on your mind. So what's up?"

"I met someone interesting the other day."

"Oh? You do meet plenty of people in your line of work."

"I do."

"So what's so special about this girl?"

Miku almost tilted her head again, but caught herself this time. "Why do you use the brothel, Ger? I'm sure you know plenty of pretty girls who would be willing to model for you."

"You've got something they don't, doll. A special little spark that's so rare in modern day missies."

"Thanks?"

"Seriously, boo, you're an amazing person. I don't mind paying a bit more because your energy inspires me."

She wasn't sure she understood completely, but she smiled, touched. "This girl is visiting the brothel and I'm pretty sure it's not for sex. I want to know why."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"So they say."

Gerald arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "That can't be the only reason; I know you."

Perhaps a little too well. "I don't know what it is, but she intrigued me at first sight. Maybe it's that same light you mentioned."

"Hm."

Gerald didn't elaborate on that thoughtful sound and Miku didn't ask. They retreated into their own thoughts and for that she was thankful. Time eased by at a comfortable pace until her smart watch beeped a warning, the information for her next date scrolling across the screen.

"Looks like time's up, girly. I'll see you next week."

Miku retrieved her things and made for the door, promising she'd be back the same time next week. She couldn't afford to linger.

"I'll see you when I see you." Gerald patted the top of the canvas. "And I'll have this guy finished by then. Look forward to it!"

...

The next appointment wasn't so nice.

The moment Miku entered the apartment, she was pushed into the door and kissed roughly. Normally, she wouldn't have minded, but this was her last stop today and she was tired. Was it asking for too much to want a bit of tenderness?

The woman who manhandled her breasts, pawing at them through the fabric of her blouse and bra seemed to think so. Miku bit back a sigh as she helped her date undress her, obediently letting the stocky, obviously butch woman take control as she was pushed towards the bedroom.

This hour passed by slowly. Though her muscles ached pleasantly afterwards as a result of the exertion, physical exhaustion made her limbs heavy. How am I going to get back? she wondered. The mere thought of navigating the commuter train made her temples throb. She idly considered asking her date for a ride, but the woman was already looking at her expectantly-as if she should have already gathered herself and shown herself out.

At least the sex had been good.

Miku gathered her clothes and made a beeline for the bathroom she was gestured in the general direction of with a grunt and a jabbed thumb.

As she passed the living room, where she happened to glance at the TV that had been left on, she froze. She'd seen the girl who pirouetted on stage before and it took her a moment to connect the dots.

The girl who'd captured her attention in the lobby the night before was Luka Megurine. The Luka Megurine—number one popstar in Japan whose chart topping hits were known worldwide.

A million questions swirled around her head, but the one that managed to find its way to the forefront was: what would someone like her want with a place like this? It wasn't safe to assume, but she'd learned how to read people over the years and Luka didn't strike her as the type to require their services. So then why? And why would someone with money go for the cheapest possible girl? Didn't she run the risk of being discovered by coming here? What could be worth the scandal that would trail her like a shadow?

Wondering only served to raise more questions and there was only one person who knew the answer to them. She hoped to have a chance to ask the girl herself very soon.

...

Miku yanked the sheets off her bed, her heart beating fast. Lloyd had just paged her and told her to expect a special guest in about an hour and, suddenly, nothing in her immaculate room had seemed clean enough. She was a frenzy of activity for the next ten, fifteen minutes.

She paused at the foot of her bed, toying with the hem of her shirt, then decided against stripping and sat down squarely in its centre. She began to fidget almost immediately with her bed spread.

'Oh!' She set down a wooden stool across from her bed, per Lloyd's instructions, and went back to her bed.

Miku was picking the paint off her nails-a horrible habit-by the time a knock on her door made her nearly jump out of her skin. Was it her?

A full minute passed and the knocker didn't enter. Miku cleared her throat and was happy to say her voice didn't reflect her apprehension. "Come in?"

The door opened and, judging by the wide-eyed expression on the pink-haired girl's face, she recognized Miku.

Miku wasn't sure why that made her so happy. Just like that, she was totally calm. "Good afternoon."

Luka's surprise turned quickly into mistrust and Miku was concerned she would take off when blue eyes flicked to the door. Then, she closed it quietly and went to sit across from the bed, her hands in her pockets. Luka didn't make eye contact and Miku didn't move, allowing the girl to engage at her own pace.

Finally, Luka asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm sure you saw the plaque on the door," Miku joked gently.

At that, her visitor looked up. "I've seen you before. In the lobby. I don't think it's a coincidence that we're meeting again now."

Clever girl.

She chose her words carefully, taking that moment to study the young woman. There was no doubt about it despite how plainly she was dressed in ripped jeans and a baggy tee: this was Luka Megurine in the flesh and blood. Miku couldn't say she was a fan, but she did admire talent and the pink-haired girl had it in spades. She was also incredibly beautiful...

Miku didn't realize she was staring until Luka cleared her throat.

"I just wanted to talk. You don't look like you belong here." She knew that skeptical look. No one in this day and age did anything without an ulterior motive. "Seriously. I'm dressed, I'm not throwing myself at you, and the door is open so you can leave whenever you want. I do hope you won't, though, as my time is valuable."

Luka's brow furrowed. "I didn't even realize the building had this many floors."

"You're currently in the third quadrant and the last one accessible to guests."

The spark of curiosity in blue eyes was adorable and she sat up a bit straighter. "What's above us?"

"Management." Including one control freak boss and the goons he hired to keep his girls safe.

"Why are there four elevators?"

"You can only access them with a particular key card." Miku pointed to the red card sticking out of Luka's pocket. "Each elevator is only able to stop on a specific range of floors."

"But why?" When Miku hesitated, Luka added, "If it's a trade secret or something, you don't have to tell me."

"There are four elevators, each of which can access five floors apiece. There are also different tiers of women and the lower the floor, the cheaper the date."

She could practically see the sharp mind turning behind narrowed blue eyes. "You fall into the highest price range, then."

"Mhm."

"But Lloyd charged me the same price as always."

"...mhm." Before the inquisitive girl could press further, Miku said, "Consider it a free upgrade for being a repeat customer."

Luka scoffed. "That's something that happens?"

"This time it did." Miku uncrossed and crossed her legs. "Are you always this suspicious?"

"No good deed goes unpunished and no kindness comes without a cost."

"Well you already paid me, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Hm."

She was as cynical as someone twice her age and already she was building a wall between them. Miku drummed her fingertips against the bedspread as she tried to get into the mindset of her date.

"What do you want from me?"

"What do you mean?"

"The purpose of this place is to give our guests what they want. I've provided that stool, as requested, but I'd like to know how you'd like me to serve you."

She made a face. "None of that, please. Can we just keep talking?"

"Whatever you want. How was your day?"

It wasn't a particularly difficult question, but Luka still seemed taken aback. It took her a full thirty seconds before she answered, "Busy. I had a ton of errands to run."

"Is that normal for you?"

"Somewhat."

"That sounds stressful. What do you do to relax?"

Again, she seemed floored by the simple question. Miku almost felt bad for asking.

"I've never thought about it, honestly. I like movies. And I have two cats who love to nap with me."

"Do you have pictures of them?"

It was with obvious pleasure that Luka produced her mobile phone. Their fingers brushed as she handed it to Miku. "Len is on the right and Kaito is on the left."

They cooed for a while over the kittens and Luka became animated as she talked about the only two creatures she could call friend. The wall she'd immediately constructed lowered to some degree as she shared fond memories, and Miku listened with a smile on her face.

"Sorry, I must be boring you."

"Not at all. I can tell you really care about your little family."

Suddenly Luka withdrew, her expression becoming unreadable as she nodded. "Yeah."

What had Miku said wrong and how could she coax out the excited young woman she'd caught a glimpse of? She sighed when her smart watch vibrated, indicating that their time together was almost finished. "I do hate to cut this short, but that's all the time we have today."

Luka was on her feet in an instant. "Thank you for talking with me today. This was lovely."

"Glad you thought so. I enjoyed myself as well." She meant that.

Luka opened her mouth, as if to speak, but then seemed to think better of it. When she hesitated, Miku took advantage of the lapse in focus to ask, "What can I call you, by the way? I'd rather not call you "kid" like Lloyd does and I'm not one for pet names."

She couldn't figure out why a smile flashed across Luka's face, but she very much wanted to see that expression again.

"Oh, um, you can call me... Melody"

"So I'll be seeing you again?" She felt silly for asking-like a young man floundering through his first date. "I'd like to continue our chat."

Luka paused again, her hand on the door handle. "Can I afford you?"

It was a realistic question for an average person and one that she likely didn't even have to consider except while presenting herself as an average person. "If you want to see me, I'll make it so. Just say the word."

Their gazes met, blue on blue, and Miku's heart beat fast beneath her breast. She wanted to know more about the real Luka beneath the bubbly pop star facade. What she had seen today confirmed that empirically.

"...I'd like that."

Luka gave a little wave before making her escape and the moment the door shut behind her, Miku collapsed onto her bed. She wasn't able to prevent the huge grin that crept across her face, the excitement of accomplishing what she had set out to do making her stomach turn flips.

The boss wasn't going to be happy about this when he found out.