At the promised diner, Kagami and Luka sat at one table together, leisurely waiting for food.
Kagami felt a bit antsy; after all she was sitting at a table with Megurine Luka, which was already uncanny. But what made it even more unthinkable was the fact that (*read the previous chapter!) Kagami was already facing tons of conflict just because of her.
Kagami held her head down the whole time. People walked by, glanced, and stared in their direction as they passed, and Kagami knew they weren't staring at her. They were staring at Luka obviously. She was incredibly gorgeous and her outfit was very conspicuous. It seemed like everyone was wondering who she was, but nobody had any courage to ask.
One person even eyed Kagami jealously, as if they were mistaking Kagami and Luka for a pair of girlfriends...
"No way!" Kagami had the urge to mouth the words clearly to the person. But right at that moment, the waiter arrived to take their order.
"What would you like to order?"
Kagami answered as naturally and politely as she could.
"Oh, hello. I would like a medium hamburger, fries on the side. Small drink. That's all."
"Okay." the nonchalant waiter wrote down the order on his pad.
"And what are you ordering, lady?" he asked Luka.
"Let's see... I would like a tuna sandwich, large, a tuna steak, one tuna fillet, a tuna-pot-pie, two maguro roll sets, two bowls of tuna, and with a side-dish of tuna soup and maguro sashimi. The large size, please. Oh, and with three sodas."
Everyone was staring again.
Kagami's mouth had fell open a long time ago.
"Speak slower, speak slower, please..."
The waiter was breaking out in a nervous sweat as he struggled to write down every Luka's order clearly...
"How does such a beautiful lady eat so much fish?"
"Who is this chick?"
"Can she eat all of that? Can she PAY for all of that?"
Kagami wanted to stuff Luka under the table and just run and hide somewhere.
"MEGURINE!" Kagami whisper-yelled once the waiter left.
"I don't have that much money, you know! And besides, how will you eat all that!"
Luka suddenly had a somewhat heartbroken look in her icy eyes...
"I do apologize for any inconvenience I have caused you. I am very hungry as I had not eaten a meal in many days. As a Vocaloid, I still don't understand many things about the human world. May I ask why it's unreasonable to eat this much food?"
Kagami groaned. "Because. Normal humans can't eat this much in one sitting. Also, food costs money. Money, or currency. I'm not carrying a efficient enough amount of currency to buy all your food. Okay, Megurine?"
"This is like explaining the world to a baby." Kagami thought, embarrassed.
"Oh." Luka's face suddenly looked apologetic. "I deeply apologize for my troubles. But master, if you want, I can earn money for you. I have heard before from my old masters, singing to people is a way to make money."
Kagami suddenly blushed. Now Luka was going to draw even more attention!?
"Um, Megurine? You don't have to..."
Luka was already rising out of her seat.
"I shall. For master, I need to."
Out of Luka's pocket, she pulled out her mp3 player. She plugged the music device into a docking system worn around the detached sleeve on her right arm so that the music began blaring loudly and clearly through the diner.
Kagami promptly hid under the seat, watching in horror what the pink-haired nuisance was going to do next.
Luka stood up tall, walked alluringly to the center of the floor, pulled a microphone from her pocket and started doing dance moves. Once the instrumental intro of the song passed, she gazed forward with full eyes and started singing.
"Just be friends... all we gotta do is just be friends. It's time to say goodbye, just be friends. All we gotta do is just be friends, just be friends, just be friends."
The people around began cheering and applauding. The entire room was immersed in her presence, the music, as if it were a true live concert.
Absolutely everyone was staring. Waiters and waitresses even stopped and stood with plates of food just because they couldn't take their eyes away.
And Kagami's view on Luka began to change slightly.
"She looks... so happy now that she's performing." she thought as she peeked out from under the table. "She told me she was an android but... I can feel her happiness. I almost feel a little pumped myself."
The next time the catchy chorus came along, Kagami found herself unconsciously singing along.
"Ooh, what am I doing?"
But still, even through its happy poppy exterior, what Luka was singing was a heartbreaking song about breaking up with someone once loved dearly. Even though she was putting on a lively performance, something about her voice was still conveying e lyrics perfectly...
Listening to the lyrics Luka sung, Kagami soon began fighting back a few tears.
"Fate that connected us
Becomes undone and disappears into everyday life
Goodbye my loved one... This is the end
Now we look go on without looking back"
"This is the end..."
Kagami was thinking about Konata. She was trying her hardest not to, but thoughts of the cheerful, precious green-eyed girl were still pouring into and flooding her mind. When the floodgates began to slightly overflow, a single shiny tear dripped down Kagami's red face as she sunk back into the dusty table bottom.
"Goodbye my loved one... this is the end."
"What if... what if Konata will leave me one day? What if this song ends up becoming my life?"
Kagami wiped her eyes and the song finished. But amongst the thundering applause, a news reporter, two hardcore otakus, and a camera crew were entering the crowded diner.
"It's Megurine Luka!" the otakus yelled together!
"What a phenomenon! Surprise at the Lucky Diner! Megurine Luka had been spotted performing to the cheering crowd! Could this really be the true Megurine Luka!?"
Suddenly, the camera crew, along with a paparazzi of otakus, dashed right across the floor towards the frozen Luka.
"No! No, run!" Kagami yelled to Luka, springing out from under the table. Both of them, causing tons of commotion and collisions, ran as fast as they could in a compete circle through the diner so they could run clear out the door. Every single thing became toppled in the wild process, but they made it. It was now dark outside and the two hadn't even gotten to eat, but still, Kagami only wanted to get away!
Alas, the lightning-quick news reporter, the camera crew, and the otakus were still chasing Luka and Kagami.
"Live, right now! Megurine Luka is found, running away with who appears to be a regular high school girl!"
The cameraman managed to get a perfect shot of Luka and Kagami, with every detail on their surprised faces as they both looked back behind them in terror.
"What are we going to do!?" a desperate, panicking, breathless Kagami whispered loudly into the fast-running pinkette's ear.
"We're going to be on the news and everybody is going to see this hullabaloo! This is a mess!"
Kagami and Luka turned a sharp corner with such urgency that a screeching sound came from the bottom of their shoes.
"At least Konata doesn't care about the news... the last person I want to have see this is her. Gosh, I PRAY Konata never sees or knows about this!"
Suddenly, while Kagami was deep in pounding thoughts, Luka had pulled out a lasso and flung it onto the chimney of a house nearby.
"They aren't around the corner yet. They aren't going to see." the woman said.
Luka continued dashing as fast as she could, and once she ran to a certain point forward enough she held Kagami in a tight embrace, jumped up as high as she could, and the rope she was holding on to flew backwards with them both holding onto it.
"AAAAAAH!" Kagami screamed as she flew through the air. Both of them landed on the house's roof with barely a thud.
"Megurine, you're crazy! How did you do that!?"
While they were on the roof, they looked down and saw that the paparazzi was still running forward, not noticing that the two had strayed far from the path.
"Whew... we've escaped them. Thanks, Megurine. Even though you're still the one who got me into this mess."
Kagami looked down from the house's roof and saw that her house was the one right across from it.
"Oh, it's my house! I hope Konata left."
It turns out she was currently leaving right this minute. Kagami could see and she watched the petite blue-haired girl walk out of the house with Tsukasa, who was waving goodbye to her.
"Bye Tsukasa!" she said.
"Bye Kona-chan!" Tsukasa waved. "I'm sorry Kagami wasn't here the entire day. Something fishy is going on with her."
"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. Well, see ya!"
As Konata walked down the sidewalk, she ended up crossing paths with the paparazzi.
"Megurine, Megurine! Megurine!" they yelled as they ran down the sidewalk frantically.
Konata watched them run and just shrugged.
"Haha, maybe they're delusional. Megurine Luka isn't real." she said. "But man, I thought I was her biggest fan, haha!"
"Okay, Konata Izumi has left." Kagami whispered as if she were a spy. "Now let's gently... get off this roof. Okay. How exactly do we... get off of here?"
It was a long story, but let's just say that Kagami ended up falling off the roof onto the ground, and so did Luka. But neither of them were harmed, thankfully.
"That's still going to leave a cramp..." Kagami said to Luka.
"Well, here we go."
Kagami swallowed hard and opened the door to her house...
"Hey sis!" Tsukasa was comfortably sitting right at the kotatsu right inside the door.
"Hey sis, where have you- whaaaa...!?"
Tsukasa gave a huge shocked gasp mid-scentence.
"Well... Tsukasa. This might be unbelievable..." Kagami tensely closed her eyes and said. "But for now all I'll say is that this is not a joke, Megurine Luka is real, and she wants to live with us."
This didn't help Tsukasa's surprise at all. Her mouth still gaped open and a small "eeeeeeh?" still emanated from her mouth.
"I am Megurine Luka, and from now on, I'll be staying here in the Hiiragi residence." the tall pinkette said as she bowed. "Kagami Hiiragi is my master. Pleased to meet you, Tsukasa Hiiragi." she held out her smooth white hand to the bewildered young girl.
Tsukasa, after moments of apprehension, calmed down enough to grab onto Luka'a warm hand. With her face forming into a smile, she shook it.
"Aaah... ah! Awawa! Oh wow... I'm really shaking hands with a Vocaloid!" she spoke all bubbly and tingly. "This is so cool! Megurine Luka, can I have your autograph too?"
Kagami put her palm to her forehead.
"That could be arranged." Luka answered with a flattered smile.
"So... Tsukasa. Where's everyone else?" Kagami asked.
"Oh, they're sleeping early." Tsukasa said.
"Whew..." Kagami sighed. At least she could have one night of not having to explain things anymore... one whole night.
That evening, Luka sang ten songs for Tsukasa and she enjoyed them all tremendously. Tsukasa asked for Luka to sign her autograph on Tsukasa's notebook, her hand, her teddy bear, her bed, her schoolbag, her shirt, even on her toilet.
An exhausted Kagami let Luka stay in her room later that night. The two were sitting together on Kagami's bed, and things were feeling somewhat awkward between them.
"Well, I let my friends stay in my room. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I guess from now on, we're friends. And since you have nowhere else to stay, well..." Kagami paused. "Never mind. Just... be courteous to me and my belongings."
Luka nodded in reply.
"I'm going to call Konata. She's the one person I'm hiding you from, remember? So don't get in the way or she'll find out about you!" Kagami lectured as she leaned down to get her phone.
She dialed the numbers tensely, and after the other line rang a few times, a familiar sharp voice answered.
"Hello, Izumi speaking."
"Oh, hello Konata. This is Kagami."
"Oh hey Kagami, how are you doin'? How was your workout?"
"Oh... my workout, yeah. It was very strenuous... I'm thinking it might even leave a cramp tomorrow."
But unfortunately, Kagami hadn't yet picked up on Luka's habit to hum and sing to herself as she leisurely sat along. She noticed too late once Luka's singing was heard in the room.
Kagami's heart skipped a beat and she turned around exasperatedly to shush her.
"Oh no... I hope her voice didn't reach the phone."
"Kagami? Are you... listening to Megurine Luka?" Konata asked on the other line, swearing she just heard her voice on Kagami's end
"AACK. I mean... no! I mean... oh, y-yeah! I am! That's it, that's all there is to it! I am listening to Megurine Luka! On the computer! Hehehe..."
Kagami was trying her hardest to hide the fact Luka was actually there and in the freaking room with her.
"Wow, Kagamin! I guess you are interested after all, huh! Well, in honor of you getting into Vocaloid, I have a surprise for you tomorrow at school!"
"Ah... y-yeah! Surprise... hooray."
"You'll look so CUTE! Um... never mind. Haha."
Kagami wondered what Konata was talking about, but then realized she had more urgent things to think about at the moment.
"So... Konata. What do you want to-"
"Oh! I'm sorry Kagami! But my anime is starting! See you later!"
Konata promptly hung up the phone, not even giving Kagami a chance to say good-bye.
"Konata..." she whispered into the speaker. There was scilence. Soon the phone because nobody was on the line.
"Aaugh! She really cares about that stupid dumb anime more than me!" Kagami said out loud.
"Or... maybe it's just me. I'm much too clingy. My expectations are always too high. I shouldn't be upset just because Konata wants to stay devoted to her hobby, right?"
Kagami suddenly felt defeated and guilty.
"But still... Konata doesn't even treat me like she truly loves me..."
Kagami found herself on the ground, brushing warm tears from her eyes, trying not to have Luka notice her sadness.
Suddenly, she felt a warm embrace uplift her from behind. Kagami's eyes flew wide open. Luka was hugging her and it felt so tender and sweet. She felt her tears begin to dry.
"M-Megurine..." Kagami muttered. "Thank you."
"Master, did something happen?" Luka concernedly said. "It's painful to see you sad."
Kagami swallowed. Luka was being... caring towards her.
"Oh... Luka. It's nothing."
Kagami was trying to hide bitter feelings as she shrugged them off. She realized she had just called Luka by her first name for the first time.
"Master, a good night's rest will put you in higher spirits." Luka said, looking at the clock which read 9:30.
Kagami nodded. She did just want to go to sleep. Sleep soundly and for once, have her mind off everything...
Wait.
Her peaceful vision of sleep suddenly shattered.
"Say, Luka." she started saying tensely again. "Exactly where are you going to sleep?"
Kagami thought for a while. Her parents had small beds. All her sisters had small beds.
The only bed that was big enough to fit two in... was Kagami's.
"Oh no... no... Am I going to have to sleep in the same bed with Luka!?"
ENDNOTE: It'll still be rated T, but yuri will happen next chapter... exactly who it's between, I won't tell you! But it'll involve Konata's surprise for Kagami, referencing a certain scene from the OVA!
And I have a hint! Can you read hiragana? Because the hint's in hiragana: "ねぎとろ"!
Find out in the next chapter~