Luka: *bows in apology* We're sorry for taking so long.

Miku: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed our story so far!

Kaito: Our fans are what keep us going, so keep it up! ;)

Rin and Len: Elise-sensei does not own Vocaloid; she just writes stories about us.

My eyes widened when I entered my new apartment. Part of the contract with Crypton Records required me, as well as my friends, to move to the apartment building across from the studio. My new home was so spacious and modern; I couldn't believe I was going to live there! "Is this much space really necessary?" I wondered.

"That's a celebrity's apartment for ya," Mikuo replied as he set down the last of my luggage. "You sure you're gonna be alright on your own?"

I turned to face him and smiled. "I'll be fine! I can still get to school using the bus, and I'll have my friends nearby. What about you, nii-chan? Are you gonna be alright?"

"Of course! I won't have to wake you up every morning," he cracked before receiving a punch in the arm from yours truly, which he just laughed off. "Need any help unpacking?"

"No, I think I can handle it," I answered. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the open door. Mikuo and I turned to see Meiko standing in the doorway. "Oh, hi Sakine-san," I greeted.

"Miku, I told you, you can call me Meiko," the older woman chuckled as she entered the apartment. One thing I've learned about Meiko in the past few days is that she has a tendency to not use honorifics… well, not with the other Vocaloids, at least. "Sorry for intruding, I just wanted to make sure you were settling in nicely."

I saw Mikuo's face turn red at the sight of the busty Vocaloid. Guess I couldn't blame him; Meiko was gorgeous. He quickly straightened himself up and bowed in her direction. "H-Hello! I'm Mikuo Hatsune, Miku-chan's older brother. Please take care of my sister!"

"I'm Meiko Sakine. Nice to meet you, Mikuo-kun," Meiko replied. Yep, it looked like she only ditched the honorifics when she was addressing the other Vocaloids. "And don't worry, your sister is in good hands here!" she finished with a smile.

"Thank you very much!" Mikuo said as he bowed again, his cheeks still flushed. Turning back around to face me, he placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled. "Well, good luck Miku-chan. Give me a call if you ever need anything… besides a wake-up call," he finished with a smirk.

"Ha ha," I replied sarcastically before hugging my brother. "Bye-bye, nii-chan. I'll see you at school." Mikuo hugged me back before walking out of the apartment, bowing one last time to Meiko before he disappeared down the hall.

The older woman watched as he left. "He seems nice," she commented with a smile. "Is he single?"

"Uh, he's about five years younger than you, but yeah, he's single," I answered hesitantly, trying to picture my 17-year-old brother dating the 22-year-old star. Shaking the image out of my head, I noticed that the whole time Meiko had been hiding something behind her back. "What've you got there?"

"Think of it as a welcome present," the older woman said as she revealed a bag. "I'll give you a hint: it has to do with why we took your measurements the other day."

My eyes lit up. "It's finished already?! No way!" I exclaimed. Let me pause the conversation for a sec so I can explain: The day after my friends and I were declared Vocaloids, Meiko told us that we each would get a special outfit to wear during performances. It wouldn't be our only outfit, of course, but it would be our "default," as she put it.

Meiko nodded before handing the bag to me. "Yep! Why don't you go ahead and try it on?"

"Okay!" I said as I took the bag and dashed into the bedroom. It was bigger than my old bedroom, complete with a queen-size bed, a walk-in closet and a full-length mirror.

I quickly looked inside the bag and carefully laid out my new outfit on the bed. It consisted of a sleeveless gray dress shirt, a teal necktie that matched my hair and eyes, a black skirt lined with teal, black arm warmers and black thigh-high boots, both also lined with teal. There was also a teal chain for my skirt, a bottle of teal nail polish, a black and maroon headset, and a pair of black and maroon hair ties. One look at this outfit and I already loved it!

I tried on everything, aside from the boots, which I would put on when I left, before returning to Meiko. Flashing a smile, I twirled around in front of the older Vocaloid. "Well, what do you think?"

She didn't say anything at first, but then she suddenly yanked me into a tight hug, pressing my face against her ample chest. "Oh, you look so cute! It's perfect!"

"Thanks!" I replied, my voice a bit muffled. When she finally let me go, I asked, "Can I go show the others?"

"You can show them at the studio, they're already waiting," Meiko said. "Get your boots on, and let's go." Nodding eagerly, I pulled on my boots before following her out the door.

My excitement grew as we crossed the street to Crypton Records. Not only was it our moving day, but my friends and I were going to start recording our first singles! We had recorded music before, but this time we had professionals helping us out. I secretly hoped that I would be working with Kaito at some point.

Speaking of whom, I hadn't really seen the blue-haired Vocaloid since the announcement in Shibuya four days ago. He's probably busy with his own projects, I thought. It's only natural that I won't always see him.

When Meiko and I reached the studio, I glanced around for Luka and the twins. The first person I spotted was Luka sitting at a small table. My jaw dropped when I saw the older girl's new outfit. She was wearing a black and gold sleeveless turtleneck top which showed her midriff, a black split skirt lined with gold, two brown and gold belts, black thigh-high stockings and gold boots with black laces which stopped just below her knees. A headset, two armbands and an arm warmer, (all of them brown, gold and aqua) as well as an aqua jewel near her throat, completed the ensemble.

"Luka nee-chan, you look amazing!" I exclaimed, getting her attention at the same time.

The pink-haired girl smiled when she saw me. "Miku-chan? You look so cute!" she said as she stood up and walked over.

"Thank you!" I said with a smile. "Where are the twins?"

"They couldn't wait," Luka answered with a light laugh. "They've already gone to one of the recording studios."

I giggled at the twins' impatience. "Too bad, I was hoping to see their outfits before we got started."

"Don't worry, you'll get to see them when you're done for the day," Meiko reassured me as she handed me a map of the building. "In the meantime, Gumi-chan's waiting for you in Studio 1, Miku. Just follow the map."

"Thank you, Meiko," I said with a bow. "See you later, Luka nee-chan!" I said, waving good-bye to my friend before scanning the map.

After a while of wandering, I finally found Studio 1. Gumi, who was sitting in front of a large panel, turned when she heard me come in. "Hey, Miku-chan! It's been a while."

"Good to see you too, Gumi-chan," I replied as I stepped into the recording booth. Inside was a microphone attached to the ceiling, a stool and a bottle of water. "Is this thing on?" I asked, tapping the mike.

"Not yet, I'll turn it on when we start recording," Gumi said as she closed the door to the booth. She returned to the panel and started speaking into a microphone of her own, and I could hear her voice over some speakers. "Testing, testing. Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," I said with a thumbs-up.

"Good. Do you have any questions so far?" the green-haired girl asked, going into professional mode.

"Not right now," I responded. "The twins have a recording studio at their house, so I pretty much know the set-up."

"Great! Then let's get started," Gumi said as she took out my demo CD. "We're recording 'World Is Mine' and 'Melt' for the single. Let's work on 'World Is Mine' first. Let me know when you're ready."

Taking a few minutes to do some voice exercises, I finally told Gumi I was ready, and the recording process began.

…

After I had guided Luka to her recording studio, I stretched my arms and walked back to the lobby. As excited as I was for the four of them, I did have my concerns. I mean, they were all still in school, so I was wondering how they were going to balance their school life with their new work. Kaito and I never had that problem, as we both started after we had graduated.

Sighing, I pulled out my cell phone and called Kaito. "Kaito," the voice on the other end answered.

"Hey, it's Meiko," I said. "They all just started recording. But listen, it's just now occurring to me that they may not be ready for showbiz yet."

"You agreed that they were Vocaloid material," Kaito reminded.

"I know, I know!" I replied irritably before sighing again. "You know as well as I do that this isn't all fun and games. They're gonna have to work hard, deal with the paparazzi every once in a while, not to mention they still have their schoolwork… I just wonder if they can handle it."

There was a pause on the other end, but he finally spoke up after a few moments. "I have faith in them. They're determined to succeed, and I believe they can… especially her."

I had a feeling I knew who "her" was; Miku Hatsune. "Boy, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were crushing on her, Kaito," I teased.

Sarcastic laughter was heard. "Very funny," he muttered. "I gotta go, but I'll see you later."

"Laters," I said before hanging up, a smug smile on my face even though Kaito couldn't see it. Well, as long as he believes in them, I guess I should, too, I thought as I walked out of Crypton Records. I'll drink to you guys tonight…

…

It took all afternoon, but Gumi and I finally finished recording for the day. "Good work today, Miku-chan!" Gumi said with a smile. "At this rate, we'll get that single out in no time!"

I took a swig from a water bottle before responding. "Thank you! I can't wait to work with you more, Gumi-chan."

"Same here," the green-haired girl said with a smile. "See you tomorrow!" And with that, I left the recording studio and headed back to the lobby.

That was when I finally spotted Rin and Len. They were about to go out the door when I called them. "Hey, guys!"

They both turned in my direction. "Hey, Miku-nee," they said at the same time before their eyes widened.

"Wow! I love your outfit!" Rin exclaimed as she looked me over.

"Thank you, Rin-chan! You two look so adorable!" I replied. The female twin was wearing a sleeveless white, black and yellow sailor top with a yellow ribbon which exposed her midriff, short black shorts, a yellow belt, black arm and leg warmers, and white shoes. She had tied her usual white ribbon to her new white and yellow headset, a yellow chain hung from her left hip, and she had a few white bobby pins in her hair.

Len blushed at the compliment. "Th-Thanks," he muttered, scratching the back of his head. His outfit was similar to Rin's, with some differences. His sailor top was more like a t-shirt, a yellow necktie replaced the ribbon, his black shorts stopped just above his knees, and his chain hung from his right hip. He had a headset identical to Rin's, minus the ribbon of course.

"So how'd your recording session go?" I asked.

"It was pretty fun," Rin replied. "Len and I are gonna be doing one single together, so we each only have to sing one song."

"It'll be the same when we get to recording our album," Len continued. "I guess they like the idea of twins working together."

"Makes sense to me," I said with a nod. Suddenly, my stomach growled loudly. "Whoops, I guess it is dinnertime, huh?" I muttered sheepishly. "You two wanna join me?"

Rin yawned and stretched her arms. "I would, but I'm tired from moving and recording… I'm just beat."

"Well, you'd better get used to it," Len told his sister before letting out his own yawn. "Sorry Miku-nee, I think we're just gonna go back to our apartment."

"I understand. See you tomorrow," I said as the twins left. I waited a while for Luka, and when she didn't show up, I texted her. She replied a few minutes later, saying that she was already back at her apartment and that she didn't have the energy to do anything else tonight. I shrugged and left Crypton Records.

I was about to head across the street when someone whistled. I looked to the side and was surprised to see Kaito standing there. "Good evening, Hatsune-san," he greeted with a smile.

"G-Good evening, Kaito-san!" I replied, my face heating up again. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Yeah, four days I think," he said with a nod. Once again, Kaito had donned his student disguise, not that I was complaining. He chuckled when my stomach growled again. "Uh-oh, sounds like someone's hungry. I know a restaurant not too far away, if you wanna join me."

I couldn't believe my ears. Kaito Shion was inviting me to have dinner with him?! "I-I'd love to!" I blurted out, my whole face turning red.

"Great! Follow me," Kaito said as he led me down the street. We soon reached a family restaurant and we were seated in a booth farther in the back. "See anything you like?" he asked.

It took me a second to realize he was referring to the menu. I quickly hid my blushing face behind it, hoping he didn't notice. "U-Um, I think I'll just have potato leek soup."

"I haven't tried that, but I've heard it's really good here," Kaito commented, seeming oblivious to my nervousness. "I think I'll have the omrice." Reaching across the table, he pulled my menu down so he could see me. "Just relax, Hatsune-san. We're co-workers now, so you don't have to be nervous."

I do if said co-worker is really hot! I thought, unable to look the older man in the eye. Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I finally looked directly at Kaito. "Sorry, I-I'm still getting used to being around you," I explained. "Uh, I just realized that I don't have my wallet."

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's on me," the blue-haired man said, waving his hand in dismissal.

My eyes widened in surprise. "Oh no, I couldn't-!"

"It's fine," Kaito interrupted. "Besides, you need a chance to unwind after working so hard. Speaking of which, how did recording go?"

"It was pretty fun!" I said happily. "Gumi-chan's a nice person to work with. I can't wait till the single gets out! …Although I am a little nervous about that, too. What if they don't like my songs?" I muttered.

It was then that Kaito reached over and lightly rapped my forehead with his knuckles. "Hey, no negative thoughts allowed!" he scolded before sitting back down. "You're just starting out, so I understand why you're anxious. But I just know they're gonna love you," Kaito said with a confident smile, which made me blush all over again.

"Thanks, Kaito-san," I said, returning his smile. In a way, he sort of reminded me of Mikuo, the way he was acting like a big brother.

A while later, our food came. "Itadakimasu!" I said before I started carefully eating the hot soup.

"Itadakimasu," Kaito repeated before starting on his omrice. He arched an eyebrow as I started eating faster. "You really like that soup, huh?"

"Oh, I like anything with leeks," I answered. "They're my favorite food!"

"Leeks? I wouldn't have guessed that," the blue-haired Vocaloid said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "I'm afraid my eating habits aren't nearly as healthy."

"Oh? Why, what's your favorite food?" I asked curiously.

"Ice cream, actually," Kaito replied without hesitation. "I've loved it ever since I was a kid. It's a bit of an obsession, really."

I couldn't help giggling. Who would've thought Kaito had an obsession with something like ice cream?! "Wow, I never would've guessed that you had a sweet tooth," I said in-between giggles.

"Is it really that funny?" the older man asked, tilting his head. "Technically speaking, ice cream is a dairy product, so it's good for you."

"Not as good as leeks. They're a vegetable, while ice cream has a lot of sugar," I countered.

"Ice cream requires little preparation, while you always have to cook leek with something," Kaito said.

"Not always!" I shot back. We glared at each other for a few seconds before we burst out laughing.

"Okay, let's call a truce," Kaito chuckled before settling down. "Think you're gonna be up for dessert?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?" We checked the dessert menu, and I decided on strawberry shortcake while he, of course, went straight for the ice cream. It took Kaito a while to decide between vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, but he finally settled on one scoop of each.

We eventually left the restaurant and walked back to the apartment building. "I had fun tonight! Thank you, Kaito-san," I said with a big smile.

"No problem," Kaito said, returning my smile. "If you ever need a chance to unwind, or if anything is stressing you out, just call me. I'll be more than willing to help you, Hatsune-san."

I nodded before glancing off to the side. I had been thinking of telling him this for a couple of days, but only now could I get up the courage to say it. "Uh, Kaito-san… I-It's okay if you call me… Miku-chan."

The blue-haired Vocaloid patted my head. "Thank you, Miku-chan. In that case, feel free to call me Kaito nii-chan."

Kaito nii-chan… I liked the sound of that. "Okay!"

"Want me to walk you to your apartment?" he asked.

"Sure. It's room 201," I said as we walked into the building and stepped into the elevator. As we rode up, I couldn't help glancing over at the handsome Kaito. We had essentially gone on a date… I felt like the luckiest girl in the world!

Once we reached my room, I turned towards him. "Well, uh… Good night, Kaito nii-chan."

"Good night, Miku-chan," Kaito said, patting my head one last time before leaving.

I entered my apartment in a daze, but I snapped out of it long enough to grab my mp3 player. Attaching it to the headset I was still wearing, I flopped down on the couch and listened Kaito's song "Blue Lotus". That song always encouraged me, but now I just wanted to listen to it out of sheer happiness.

Koko ni wa yami shika ari wa shinaito ("Nothing but darkness exists here")

Hiza o kakaete nageku anata no (You sigh, hugging your knees)

Kokoro no naka kara boku wa me o dashi (From within your heart)

Aoku kagayaku hana ni naru (I sprout into a shining blue flower)

Yogoreta mizu wa moto ni modoranaito ("Soiled water can never be clean again")

Me o fusete anata wa wara ukedo (With downcast eyes, you ridicule yourself)

Sono mizu o nonda boku no utagoe wa (However, having drank this water)

Shimi hitotsu nai hane o hirogeta (My singing voice has spread out its untainted petals)

Anata kara umareta boku o (Please keep your eyes open)

Me o tojinaide mitsumete (To look closely at me, who was born from you)

Next time:

Miku: Alright, we're gonna work on dancing now!

Luka: We're working with Yowase-san, right? I just hope I don't mess up.

Miku: Kaito nii-chan says "No negative thoughts allowed!"

Rin and Len: Kaito nii-chan…?

Next time: Luka Luka Night Fever