When Teto helped Miku mix together the ingredients, Miku was surprised at how soft and smooth the dough had become. Miku had occasionally tried to bake for the other Vocaloids, but everything she did usually resulted in an inedible lump and a burnt smell. The last time she had attempted to bake cookies, they had come out of the oven as black, rock-hard blobs.
With Teto's help, Miku was actually preparing something that people could eat. The dough that she was kneading was a silky, soft ball instead of a dry mess. She smiled, feeling a little proud of herself.
Teto peered at Miku's ball of dough. "Okay, I think that's enough now," she told her.
"What do I do with it?" Miku asked. She handed the dough to Teto.
"Now we've got to make the shape," Teto took a piece off of the dough ball. "We can't fit a giant loaf into your oven, so we're going to make a lot of little ones." She showed Miku how to shape the dough into a miniature loaf of French bread. The girls divided the dough into several small loaves and set them on a cookie sheet. Miku slid the cookie sheet into the oven with a sense of triumph.
"How long should it bake for?" Miku sat down at the table with Teto.
"That recipe said 20-25 minutes," Teto replied.
"Oh," said Miku. She and Teto sat in silence for a minute. Teto stared at the table and fidgeted. Miku fished desperately for something to say. Time ticked by, the silence growing more awkward by the second.
"So, why do you feel weird about being an UTAU?" Miku finally blurted out, her mind flashing back to their conversation earlier. She instantly regretted what she had said. "Sorry. That's probably a personal question."
"No, it's fine," Teto answered. She swung her leg back and forth. "I guess Vocaloids are just cooler. You're famous and rich. I've always thought you guys were amazing."
"But you don't have to be a Vocaloid to sing well," Miku said, wishing she hadn't asked that question.
"I don't know," Teto dusted flour off her skirt. "UTAU aren't really as well known, and we don't make much money. A lot of us have to get jobs." She shrugged.
Miku felt uncomfortable. She forced herself not to look at the now half-full bag of groceries still sitting on the table. She didn't really know how Teto was feeling. She'd always had everything because of her singing. She could barely remember the time back when she wasn't a star. What had she wanted to do back then?
Miku stood up with a flash of inspiration. "Let's go to the recording studio!" If Teto wanted to be famous, having a song done at the big glassy building would definitely make her more well known. Usually only celebrities went there, but Miku had a lot of influence. She was sure that she could persuade whoever was in charge to let Teto record her song.
"What?" Teto looked at Miku with wide eyes. "What about the bread? What are you talking about anyway?"
"After the bread's done, I'll take you to the recording studio!" Miku checked the clock. "There's only a few minutes left." The Vocaloid was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. She was sure that her idea would work. She had read on the Internet that it was many singers' dream to be able to record a song at that building. There was a superstition that most songs that came out of that place became hits.
"Wait, the recording studio? What?" Teto was completely lost. She was staring at Miku as if she had grown a second head.
"It's that big building down near the park," Miku peered into the oven window impatiently. "They'll let you record a song there if I ask them." She hoped that was true. She had never tried something like that before. Still, she was one of the most famous singers in the world, after all. She had to be able to do something, right?
"Me? Record a song there? But I…" Teto had passed that building before. She had seen the Vocaloids and other celebrities going in and out. She couldn't believe what Miku was saying.
"It'll be great! You've got a nice voice! And since it's near the park, we can bring the bread and go to the party afterward!" Miku's face was glowing with excitement. Teto, on the other hand, was openmouthed with astonishment. She wondered whether Miku was playing some kind of joke on her for a second, but dismissed the idea. She couldn't see Miku as being the type to do that.
"The bread's done!" Miku announced happily as a delicious smell drifted through the air. She pulled on oven mitts and brought out the loaves. "Thanks for helping me, Teto. This is the first time I've ever baked anything like this!" She stuffed the bread into a big bag as Teto looked on. "Come on! Let's go to the recording studio!" Miku grabbed Teto's hand and pulled her up out of her chair. Teto had no idea what was happening, but she went along with it anyway. Even if it was a joke, she would still have a good story to tell her friends.
Teto ended up standing with Miku inside of the huge building. The whole way there, she had hurried along beside Miku in a dazed state, not quite believing what was happening. She still couldn't believe it. She took out her phone and took a picture of her surroundings, sending it to her friends. They were very nice surroundings. Teto made sure to catch the company's logo in the picture.
Miku took me to record a song here –Teto
At the moment, Miku was talking with a man in a suit. Teto couldn't tell what she was saying, but Miku kept gesturing toward her. The man seemed very nervous. Teto checked her phone. Her friends had already replied.
What? No way! This is a joke, rt? –Momo
Not believing you until I see proof –Uta Utane
Teto smiled at the messages and put her phone away. Miku had overpowered the nervous man and was motioning for Teto to come over. Teto was led down a carpeted hallway towards the recording studio. As Miku was about to open the door, it opened from the inside. A girl with long brown hair and an uneasy expression stepped out. She was fidgeting anxiously with her pink scarf.
"Oh! Hi, Miku!" the girl said, a smile appearing on her face.
"Hi, Kokone!" Miku replied. "Did you just finish?"
"Yes. Who's this?" Kokone asked, looking inquiringly at Teto.
"This is Teto!" Miku answered proudly. "She's my friend. I got them to let her record a song."
"Wow, are you a Vocaloid?" Kokone addressed Teto, who shrank a little.
"N-no," Teto squeaked out. "I'm an UTAU."
"UTAU?" Kokone didn't seem to know what that meant.
"We're like Vocaloids, but we don't cost anything." Teto wished she could sink into the floor. "I've never actually recorded a song…like this."
"Really?" Kokone perked up. "That was my first time too!" She leaned closer to Teto as if she was sharing a secret. "I'm a new Vocaloid, so I haven't really done anything yet. Everyone else seems so cool and experienced, and I haven't even had a concert!"
"Speaking of concerts, do you know whose concert we're celebrating tonight?" Miku interjected. "I was so worried about bringing food that I totally forgot." She gestured toward the bag of bread.
"It's actually two people," Kokone turned back toward Miku. "Anon and Kanon. Do you remember them? The twin girls."
"Oh yeah," Miku nodded. "The Kagamines were all ready to be their big brother and sister." She grinned. "Hey, what are you bringing to the party?"
"Me? I baked cookies," Kokone curiously regarded the bread bag. "What's in the bag?"
"Teto helped me make bread," Miku indicated Teto, who shrugged.
"I like baking," Teto mumbled.
"Me too!" Kokone's eyes shone. "We're like the same person!" Teto was quite surprised. They were like the same person? She tried to wrap her head around the fact that a Vocaloid was like her.
"Teto's got a really nice voice, too," Miku added. "She's kind of insecure about it, though."
"Can I come and hear you sing?" Kokone asked. "I bet that your voice actually does sound really good!" Her discomfort from earlier had completely vanished.
"Okay," Teto was astonished that there were two Vocaloids who wanted to hear her. Miku opened the door to the recording studio and let the other girls in.
"Do you know what song you want to do?" Miku asked Teto.
"Yes," Teto thought for a moment, hoping that this wasn't a dream. "I have a song called Fukkireta." She knew that Miku and Kokone had probably never heard of it before. She began the song anyway. The room seemed to fade away as she concentrated on singing.
When Teto finished singing, Miku and Kokone clapped for her.
"Was it okay?" Teto said.
"It was really good!" Kokone answered. "I bet that everyone will like it once it's out there!"
"See, Kokone thinks so too!" Miku patted Kokone's head. "Even if you're not a Vocaloid, you still sound amazing!" Teto smiled. Miku was right. Being an UTAU wasn't so bad after all. She turned to thank Miku, who was picking up the bag of bread.
"I guess you have to go to that party now," Teto remembered.
"What do you mean, 'you?'" Miku grinned at Teto. "You're coming too, right?"
"I am?" Even after all everything that had happened that day, Teto was still surprised.
"You helped me bake all this," Miku told her. "And you're our friend."
Teto took out her phone. "Can I bring some of my friends to the party too?"
"Sure!" Miku replied cheerfully. Teto sent out text messages. She wondered what the other UTAU would do when they read them.
Note: I was trying to make Teto an insecure person who got more confidence, but I don't know if it worked. Anyway, since I got a summer job, updates will probably be once a week, and on weekends.