So, here's the next chapter! Ummm... Enjoy, I guess.

Vocaloid belongs to Yamaha. Not me. Unfortunately.

The Schoolgirl and the Gymnast

As the school days trundled on, it felt as if life could stay like this. As if life could stay normal. But obviously, life isn't like that at all. Things have to get better, or worse.

Just when Len seemed to have settled into the swing of school life, a few days later, he was absent for a week. It was almost like a mysterious disappearance – a magician's act – apart from the fact that he returned back to school. So… it wasn't that magical. Even so, there was something different about the boy. During the time the boy had off, which was, apparently, due to some form of illness, Miku had all the time in the world to think about the 'something' about the boy which she thought was weird.

The day after Len had returned, the class had their first sports lesson. Today, they were doing gymnastics. The girls got changed in the girls' changing room and the boys in their boys' changing room. Whilst changing into their gym kit, Miku and Rin started discussing their currently-favourite topic. Len.

"I couldn't imagine him doing gymnastics, right? He can barely walk without falling over," mumbled Rin.

"And breaking a couple of dishes at the same time," Miku added in good humour. The two girls giggled quietly.

However, if the two girls were really thinking this way, they were in for a huge surprise. Again.

"Right CLASS!" boomed the sports coach. His voice was deep and loud. And unfortunately, this was his way of whispering. Nobody wanted to know what his level of shouting was like. "BOYS to the LEFT! GIRLS to the RIIIIGHT!"

Rin shuddered at the intensity of the coach's voice. It hurt her ears so much. As the students began setting out the equipment and safety mats, the coach bellowed, "NEW BOY! Where ARE you?"

All eyes turned to Len once again. Confidently, the blond boy lifted his hand so the coach knew who he was. To be honest, he much preferred to be called by this name. I have a name, you know, he thought to himself. All the same, he just said, "Yes, sir." In his navy blue school shorts and white polo shirt, he didn't look much.

Nodding slowly, the coach sized him up. "You're quite shrimpy aren't you?"

Cooly, Len shrugged. "If you say so."

The coach's eye twitched. No-one ever dared to answer him back. Yet this… shrimp just did. What's the world coming to? Nonetheless, he carried on, "Show us what you got."

The mats were all set up in the centre of the gymnasium, in a giant blue square. Various pieces of equipment lay about. A pommel horse and ropes hanging from the ceiling were some of the pieces among them. But he needed neither ropes nor horses. Rather, he didn't need any of the equipment to show off. And show off he did.

With a small smirk to himself, he took his place at one of the corners of the square of mats. Arms up. And begin.

First, run-up… Skip, hop, jump, flip number one… land. Turn around, run… cartwheel, spring up and flip number two. Oh, let's use the pommel horse a bit. Run, quick-quick… single-handed cartwheel and… hands on pommel horse… big lift… and over with a flip number three. Len grinned to himself as he heard the gasping of the audience. He landed smoothly with a thud and held his arms up, indicating he had finished.

There was an applause and Len saw the 'intimidating' coach dumbstruck. Success.

...

One lunchtime, when Rin was busy with a club of hers, Miku asked to talk to Len. She had finally realised what she couldn't place her finger on before.

Pulling him behind a wall by the lockers, she said, "What happened to our cute little waiter boy?"

Len gave a short laugh and replied, "What? I'm here aren't I? Besides, aren't you going to start with why you dragged me here? I have band rehearsals, y'know." Suddenly serious, Len's face shadowed over slightly. He continued, "I guess I didn't fool you then. Seriously, and I thought you were the unobservant one."

Miku frowned.

"Anyway, I guess you noticed, by the looks of things. What were you concentrating on when I was showing off in that spots lesson? Course, you would have been staring and my handsome face, no?"

"Wh-what?" stammered the girl, blushing slightly. Quickly regaining her composure, she protested, "Of course not, you idiot! I presume you know what I saw."

"And I presume that nonetheless, you would like to tell me yourself. And do hurry up. I have band rehearsals."

"I will, then. Cuts. Cuts and bruises and scars," said Miku quietly. "What exactly goes on in your life?"

Len flinched. His blue eyes seemed sad and full of hurt. Unexpectedly, he flared up and he flung Miku roughly against the wall, pinning her there with his left arm.

"Don't you even dare ask about that. Don't even think about it," he snarled viciously. With that, he stormed off.

"And what's with your whole personality change, eh?" Miku shouted after him. "And change of talents as well? What's wrong with you?"

Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me, raged Len's stormy mind. It's just all you people. You're the ones that have something wrong with yourselves!

After school that day, Miku walked home with Rin, and she voiced her suspicions about Len to her. Rin listened, refusing to believe all these things. She didn't want to believe it. None of it. Len was Len: the cute little waiter from the café who turned out to be a talented genius… right?

As they journeyed home, the two girls took a short detour to visit the café again. Though this time, they only peered through the thick glass windows, which stretched from the roof canopy to the pavement ground. Standing there for a while, they saw Len, his mass of blond hair standing out in the crowd. He had already switched from his school uniform into his waiter's outfit – a simple black and white colour scheme.

For a split second, the boy chanced a glance outside whilst taking orders, and catching sight of the two staring girls, he winked discreetly, before turning back to his table of customers, playing shy and nervous again. Miku marvelled at his acting – it was pretty much first-class stuff. Even professional actors could do no better. Rin, on the other hand, just gawked, her blue eyes sparkling with affection. Upon seeing this, Miku grabbed her lovestruck friend by her wrist and dragged her away.

The duo returned to the apartment they shared. It was small, but big enough for two people. There was the main living room, which also served as the dining room, connected to a small kitchen through a door. And the corridor led off to a bathroom, Miku's room and Rin's room. The apartment was very neat and tidy, with barely a speck of dust visible. Everything was arranged in an orderly way, with no exceptions.

Soon, the sun began to set and the sky was dyed a blood-red, mixed with pink clouds. Later, the crimson sky gave way to a black, velvet sea, twinkling with pearly stars and a glowing silver moon. All of a sudden, it started raining.

"I don't like the rain. It makes me feel so gloomy," complained Miku.

"Hmmm," murmured Rin.

Miku sighed. Her friend was definitely in love with that boy. But there was something about him that unsettled her. It was hard to explain. At least she had sorted out her emotions. And no, thought Miku defiantly, I am not in love with him.

Just as the two girls were about to go to bed, for it was already half past ten, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," said Rin half-heartedly.

When she opened the door, she found the drenched figure of Len standing in the doorway, with a grey hoodie and black tracksuit trousers.

"Hey," he smiled.

Rin was speechless. "H-how…"

"How do I know where you live?" smirked Len. He shrugged, "Things are easy when you know how."

"Stalker," mumbled Miku with a sour expression, who had come to see who the visitor was.

If looks could kill, Miku would have been swiftly murdered by a certain angry boy there and then.

"What do you want?" growled Miku.

"H-hey, Miku! Don't be so rude!" interjected Rin. It was clear whose side she was on. She turned towards the blue-haired girl, arms folded in front of her chest.

"Yeah," mouthed Len mockingly, just so Miku could see.

Miku was fuming. If only she could strangle him that very moment, life would be so much better.

"Well," began Len in a weary voice, "I left my house keys at school in my locker, so I was wondering… if I could stay the night."

"Of course!"

"No."

Rin and Miku stared at each other. They had said the exact opposite things at the exact same time.

"Never mind her," dismissed Rin quickly. "Come on in."

Miku scowled as Len entered with a triumphant expression on his face. What was going on now?

When Rin had left to grab some snacks, Miku turned on the boy.

"What about your father?" she asked. "Won't he let you in the house?"

"My father?" Len echoed.

"Yeah, your father. I'm guessing he lives in the same house as you. They said you transferred here because your father got some work in the area."

"My father? Work? Same house?" Len laughed slyly. He smirked. "Whoops. I lied."

"What?"

The boy shrugged uncaringly, as if it was no big deal. He carried on, "I don't even have a father."

I hope enjoyed this chapter too~

Thanks fro readin! Again, pointers on how to improve are welcome!