Chapter 11: The Ievan 10 Faced Fling, the thoughts and concerns of a former Yandere Psycho
Mayu sat in her new room all alone, feeling a fear that she could not explain. Since the announcement of Piko's death from Kaito and Meiko, the estate was silent and worried. It was as if there was a silent pandemic. But Mayu was the most calm, but unnerved of them all. She felt an evil forming here, something dark and evil. What are they planning...It revolves around something...Something that will cause chaos...Please...Pass over...Pass Over without problem...
Gumi returned to her room, only to see Mikuo on her bed playing her PSP. He was shirtless for whatever reason. Gumi was shocked to see him. It had been days since she'd seen him.
"Mi-Mikuo-kun?" She sounded shocked as well. Mikuo paused the game and looked at her.
"...I missed you." He confessed, "So I got permission from Luka. She encouraged it..."
"I'd imagine she did." Gumi nodded, sitting next to him. Luka was a hopeless romantic, as often mentioned, and love was always a valid reason to her to see the other gender.
"...Gumi..." Mikuo put the PSP on the night stand, twirling her hair in between his thumb and index finger, "You look so beautiful...Do you think...when we get out of here...?"
"...go on..." Gumi scooted closer to him, wanting to know his wishes.
"...We could get an apartment...and live together...? Like those happy couples in songs?" Mikuo asked, sounding sexy serious.
"A course." Gumi smiled, "There's bound to be a happy ending sometime soon..." Mikuo smiled as well, agreeing with her.
Mikuo put his hand on her cheek, barely stroking it with the index finger. Gumi blushed, laying her head on his chest. If anything risqué were to happen, she would allow it. Gumi believed what happened always happened for a reason. For example, yes Piko's death was sad and even a small funeral was held, but it was part of a divine plan to bring happiness. Now, in Vocaloid Heaven, Piko was free from the estate and would be appreciated more up there. So, if the divine plan required Mikuo-kun to pin her against that bed and go around the whole football field, she would allow it to happen. Mostly out of pleasure and teenage hormones, but the rational part would do it for the divine plan.
Meanwhile, in the secret hollow area behind the staircase, Merli and Lui were talking about the future. They had always met up here when possible, as if part of some routine. It was truly the only way for them to speak without being in the eyes of the public or in one of their rooms. They were holding hands, discussing what they would do if they were to escape.
"What about a job?" Merli asked Lui. Lui was the mastermind of the whole plan. He had two sheets of paper dotted with ideas of what they could do.
"Well, I could sing, but Len says people would assume I'm mimicking him and a lawsuit would happen." Lui explained to her, "So, I could do something basic, like work at a store part-time and slowly climb up the ranks and go to school...Become an engineer or whatever."
"I don't know what I would do...Maybe run bake sales from an apartment?" Merli shrugged. Before she and her sister had come here, Merli would cook and bake and was fairly decent at it.
"That's a good idea..." Lui nodded, agreeing with her, "I think that's all taken care of...The rest will come when it comes."
"...The rest?" Merli didn't understand what 'the rest' was.
"You know, if we engaged, or married, have kids, break-up, or whatever." Lui listed, his face turning pink. Merli's got red.
"Right, right! Th-that'll be years down the road." Merli defiantly said. Lui smiled at her. Damn, he loved her tsundere ways.
Night fell over the estate slowly, but once it hit, everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone. Mayu was still awake, and on her own recon mission. She knew the lady and the master were planning something...something horrible. She walked up the staircase and snuck to their room, which was strategically behind another door and room. Mayu walked into the decoy room, and began her eavesdropping.
"How much longer must I wait? You say days, then hours, then months! I need a straight answer!" Prima.
"Our new heir is fixing the machine, so I don't know...But once the deed is done, all the deeds of this, we'll switch them." Mayu knew this other voice's identity: Big Al.
"Switch them? Why?" Prima asked. She sounded puzzled by this odd decision, "Wouldn't it be better to have both?"
"No. 'Twitter' will be our look-out for the ones who must be silenced or otherwise ours." Big Al explained to her, "To do the weeding out of the rotted weeds. It makes since, dear." He was a mastermind, a genius.
"You're a genius, darling!" Prima seemed to enjoy her husband's ideas. Mayu puked a little in her mouth for hearing the happy tone.
"Darling, can you get 'Twitter' for me?" Big Al requested. Mayu quickly hid under the bed. She was an excellent hider, so no one could notice her.
Prima walked out of the room, not even noticing another presence, and exited the decoy room. Mayu stayed under the bed, not wanting to take her chances until she knew Prima would return to the room with this new girl. Speaking of which, who was this 'twitter' they spoke of? It wasn't Matcha, for she was revered as their daughter. Perhaps a mole within the Vocaloids? No, they all seem pretty loyal. Mayu disregarded that though quickly. Maybe a maid? That was always likely. Or...did they revive a dead one?
Prima returned to the room with another girl. Mayu could only see the girl's black and yellow sneakers. It sparked a familiarity, but Mayu couldn't connect the dots. When Prima and 'Twitter' went into the real room, Mayu climbed out and began her mission once more.
"There you are 'Twitter'." Big Al spoke to the girl.
"Please, call me Neru." Neru, the girl, spoke. Mayu silently gasped.
Neru, she remembered Neru. Neru had shown up after being discarded by her Master. She was popular among everyone, despite her tsundere ways and brushing most off. Mayu was even friends with her before the brainwashing. However, Neru did love one person: Len. They were even dating for a short amount of time. Then, only months after Mayu's brainwashing, she remembered being called into the room with the machine. The knocked out boukaloid (Neru) was tied and bound to a chair, hooked up to a machine. Prima had shown her how the machine works: blue means normal, red means death, and yellow means change. Prima had set the lever on red and pressed a button. Neru had woken up for a split second, only for them to see the color drawn from her eyes and die. Prima had then called for Luo Tianyi to throw 'this junk' away.
Mayu could remember asking the purpose of this person's death, with Prima saying for being a rebel rouser and promoting hope. That the estate was for the benefit of refined Vocaloids and one day, some lucky poor Vocaloids, like the ones who live here, would be refined and the need to take in strays would end. That one day, the world would be happy with refined Vocaloids. Mayu still didn't understand the definition Prima used for refined, or what refined was classified as.
But now, Neru was alive! Alive, but obviously brainwashed, for she was sweeter than normal. She would apparently replace someone, someone who would also be brainwashed... To replace me no doubt...I need to know who...I need to know! Then I can warn everyone to protect that person...Even Luka! I can't let someone got through that hell...
"We're going to let you stay with the others soon." Big Al told Neru.
"Really?" Neru sounded excited, "With Len-kun?"
"Yes, you'll get to see your 'Len-kun'." Big Al replied to her, "But you'll have an important job. Very, important."
"What is it?" Neru had asked, curious and willing to take it apparently.
"Make sure no one plans to escape. That would be bad." Big Al told her, "Very bad."
"Yes." Neru seemed to comprehend.
"If someone does," Prima spoke, "Report to us and we'll handle it."
"Yes, mother." Neru replied. Mother...Maybe she was far too gone.
"Good. Now, please go to your room, tomorrow you'll move into your new room!" Prima replied. Mayu crawled back under the bed right before Neru left the room and decoy room. Moments later, Prima followed her.
That soon? Am I too late? Mayu bit her lip as she crawled out and quickly left the middle staircase, only to bump into Luka.
"L-Luka!" Mayu was trembling, hoping it wasn't too late to save the unlucky Vocaloid.
"M-Miss Mayu..." Luka helped Mayu to her room, where it would be safe for them to talk normally. Mayu sat on her bed, still shaking, "What's wrong, Mayu?"
"They're...going...to...brainwash someone...and...And...Neru..." Mayu was breathing heavily out of fear. With the name of Neru said, Luka's blood ran cold, as if she knew something.
"Neru?" Luka sounded worried, "What are they planning? She's been brainwashed completely...Please Mayu! Tell me!" Luka looked desperate.
"Neru's going to join us...as a mole...If someone speaks of escaping...she'll...report it!" Mayu managed to get the words out, "But...we need to save someone! Someone is in danger of being brainwashed!"
"I'll take care of it. You tell Meiko, and Galaco. I've helped her completely. Galaco will go tell Kaito, do you understand?" Luka sounded stern. Mayu nodded. Luka quickly left the room, and ran into Luo on the middle staircase.
"Luka, there you are." Luo spoke. Luo was still under the control, just like Akiko. But, the de-brainwashing process was hard and long, so having half the maids out of it was a success in itself.
"Did I miss something?" Luka asked her fellow maid. Luo nodded.
"The lady wanted you to retrieve Miss Rin, but the task had fallen to me since you were busy." Luo explained, "I don't know why they want the young Miss." Luka's heart sank a little.
"I see. I will go apologize." Luka then ordered, "Will you please go put away the dishes, Luo?"
"A course." Luo left for the dining room. Luka quickly ran up the stairs and to the brainwashing room.
Luka got out the silver and gold key, the key to get in instead of going through the vents. She unlocked the door, and opened it. Rin was hooked up to the machine, coded out for whatever reason with a large purple bruise on her head. Luka went over to the machine: yellow. Luka looked around to find the stop button, and quickly slammed it when she did. The noises stopped. Luka removed the helmet from Rin, and got to her level.
"Rin...Rin...please wake up...please..." Luka said in a hushed tone. Rin slowly opened her eyes, "Rin...it's me...Luka...tell me you're okay...please..." Rin was too dazed to speak, looking stoned and confused. Luka picked up the girl, and quickly carried her back to Meiko's room.
Please don't be too late...Please...
And the plot thickens...Will Rin be okay? Or another victim to being brainwashed? And if so, will she be able to break out of it? If not, will Luka be ratted out and killed? So much going on, not enough answers! Keep reading for more! ~Kingdom Mitsumi