Len: Thanks for waiting so patiently. Track 9 is officially here!

Meiko: Last I checked, you were in drag, right Len? This should be good…

Len: Oh hush, at least let me tell my side of the story first!

Meiko: Oh fine… spoilsport… *clears throat* Elise-sensei does not own Vocaloid; she just writes stories about us. And dresses Len in girls' clo-!

Len: *covers her mouth* Ah! Shut up, Meiko-san!

*Four days ago*

The door to our apartment burst open and I stumbled in just before Rin did. We had just raced from Crypton Records to our apartment, and I won without a problem. "Yes! Victory!" I cheered, pumping my fist.

"Hah… Lucky," Rin shot in-between pants. Wiping some sweat from her brow, she quickly headed to our room to change out of her uniform. "Hey, think you can help me pick out an outfit for tomorrow?" she called out to me.

It took me a second to respond. "Uh yeah, sure," I called back before walking into our shared bedroom. For those of you just joining us, Rin had been invited to a group date by our sempai, Teto Kasane, and she was pretty excited about it. I guess I couldn't blame her; after all, she had never been on any kind of date before. At first I didn't really approve of it, but Miku talked me into letting her go.

Entering the room, I saw Rin already getting out of her uniform and I stopped in the doorway.

For some reason my cheeks were flushed; it's not like I hadn't seen Rin in her underwear before. Being siblings, we should be used to such things, right?

Rin noticed I had stopped and arched an eyebrow. "Hey, are you okay? You're spacing out."

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head and sitting on the edge of my bed.

After Rin finished changing into some comfortable clothes, the two of us looked through her outfits before finally picking one that worked. Suddenly, both our stomachs growled. Chuckling, I commented, "Okay, I know we're twins, but that's just ridiculous!"

"I know," Rin agreed with a light laugh. "Need any help in the kitchen?"

"No, I think I can handle it," I answered quickly, heading out of our room. No offense meant to Rin, but she could burn water, so I've mentally banned her from the kitchen.

Checking the fridge, I noticed we were missing the orange sauce I needed for the chicken. "Uh-oh," I muttered. "Hey Rin, we're out of orange sauce, so I'm heading out for a few minutes."

"Hurry!" my twin called as I left the apartment. My first stop was next door at Room 201, which was Miku's apartment.

…Okay okay, so I kinda had an ulterior motive for going there. You see, I've had a crush on Miku for a couple of years now. The only problems are one, she's completely oblivious to how I feel about her, and two, she seems to have a huge crush on Kaito Shion. Oh well, I always tell myself that just seeing her and being able to be her friend makes me happy.

Knocking on the door, I waited for a minute, but Miku never answered. As if on cue, Luka walked by and spotted me. "Len-kun, is something the matter?"

"Oh hi, Luka-nee," I greeted. "No, I'm just out of orange sauce. You don't have any, do you?"

"I don't, I'm sorry," she answered. "But I think Meiko-san has some. You should ask her."

"Thanks! Which apartment's hers?" After getting the apartment number, Room 306, I dashed up the stairs to the next floor.

When I reached the third floor, I walked down the hall and was about to turn the corner, but I spotted Miku and quickly hid before peering around. She was standing patiently in front of Room 305, holding a large pot in her hands. The door opened, and Kaito was standing there wearing blue pajamas. "Hey Miku-chan, come in," he greeted with a smile, moving so Miku could go inside.

Miku's eyes lit up at the sight of the older man. "Sorry I kept you waiting," I heard her say before she walked in and the door was closed behind her.

I felt a slight pain in my chest at the sight of those two. Miku looked so happy around that guy… how could I ever hope to compete?

"Now now, it's not nice to spy, Len," a feminine voiced teased, startling me and causing me to whip around. Standing right behind me with a smug grin on her face was Meiko. Before I could say anything, she placed a finger on my lips before gesturing towards her apartment. Letting out a small sigh, I followed her inside.

"Sorry for intruding," I said as I removed my shoes and walked in. "And I wasn't spying, Meiko-san, I was going to your apartment for some orange sauce."

"It's just Meiko," the older woman corrected before turning back to me and leaning against the wall. I keep forgetting she doesn't use honorifics with me and the other Vocaloids. "Well I've got the orange sauce, but that couldn't have been the reason you were hiding around the corner. So, what's the story?"

There was no way I was gonna tell her about my hopeless crush, so being the stubborn kid I am, I shook my head. "There is no story, I just don't like running into people in the hallways here. Kinda awkward."

"Uh-huh," Meiko muttered, apparently unconvinced. She then went into the kitchen and came back with some orange sauce. "You know, if you like her, all you have to do is say so."

Gah! She nailed it! I thought, completely startled by her remark. "How'd you…?"

"We haven't known each other for very long, but I have an uncanny ability to detect lies," Meiko said with a confident smile. "Hell, I could probably be a psychologist or detective if I wasn't already in showbiz." Then a thought seemed to occur to her. "Unless of course, I've missed my guess and the one you like is Kaito?"

"No way! I'm straight as a ruler!" I exclaimed, quickly shaking my head.

"So you are crushing on Miku," Meiko said, this time with a teasing smile. "So why haven't you said anything?"

It looked like there was no more denying it, so I let out a sigh. "Well, we've been friends for as long as I can remember. If I told her I loved her, she'd probably take it the wrong way and think I loved her as a friend. Not to mention she likes Kaito-san, so really it's better if I don't say anything at all. I'm perfectly fine being a close friend to her." Even as I said that, I felt the pain in my heart grow worse.

Meiko gave me the orange sauce before ruffling my hair. "You'll never know if you don't try. Find the right time and tell her how you really feel. Even if it turns out Miku isn't the one, I'm sure there's someone out there waiting for you. Just hang in there, okay kiddo?"

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, I said, "Thanks. Sorry to bother you."

I heard her call "Good luck!" as I left the apartment and went back downstairs. As I walked, I let out another loud sigh. Maybe cooking would help take my mind off Miku for just a little while.

…

Eventually Saturday came around, and so did Rin's group date. I let her off fifteen minutes before 3 so she could get ready and look presentable to the guys she would be meeting. For some reason, I was still a bit worried about how things would go. I had no idea what sort of guys that Teto girl knew, and I was probably just being paranoid, but what if one of them made a pass at Rin?

"…you hear me, Len?" Rin's voice intruded on my thoughts, and I turned in her direction. She had just finished getting changed and was standing in front of me in the lobby. "I said, wish me luck!"

Smiling at her, I replied, "Good luck, and be careful, okay?"

"I will! Don't be such a worrywart!" she chided before practically skipping out the door.

As I watched her leave with three older girls, Teto among them, I still couldn't shake that uneasy feeling. Maybe it was just the overprotective sibling part of me, but I decided to do something I never thought I'd do… and that was following Rin on her first group date.

Pulling the hood up on my hooded t-shirt and slipping on a pair of sunglasses, I made sure the girls were far enough away that I wouldn't be noticed before following them. Once they reached the restaurant, I ducked into a café across the way, making sure to get a seat by the window.

"Hi, what can I get you?" a waitress asked, walking over to me.

"I'll just have water, thanks," I told her before turning my attention to the window. Luckily for me, I could see the group date through the restaurant's window, but I had to lower my glasses to get a better look.

"Here's your water," I heard the waitress say, and I quickly turned to her. Suddenly she leaned forward a little and whispered, "Hey, aren't you Len Kagamine-kun?"

Damn, guess I should've seen this coming, I thought. "Yeah, but don't make too big a deal about it, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't," she assured me. "Although if you don't mind, could you sign this? It's for my little sister, she's a big fan." She held out her pad of paper, and I quickly signed it.

Once she finally left me alone, I watched the group date, especially Rin. She seemed to be talking to one person in particular, but unfortunately I couldn't see who it was.

After a while, my cell phone suddenly rang. I checked the caller ID and when I saw it was Rin, I immediately answered. "Hey, it's Len."

…And the next thing I knew, I was dressed in Rin's clothes and wearing her make-up. Oh well, it was my idea so I had to go through with it. Suddenly, I was very glad that she had gone with a light, long-sleeved jacket and long skirt. That made the fact that I was cross-dressing not nearly as obvious.

After Rin left the restaurant dressed like me, I took a deep breath before slipping out of the restroom and heading over to the group. Remembering the names and descriptions Rin gave me, I was able to quickly identify each person.

Flashing a smile, I sat down next to a white-haired boy, Piko Utatane. "Sorry about that," I apologized, pitching my voice so I sounded more like my sister.

"You were gone for a while, Kagamine-san," Piko commented. "Everything okay?"

"Eh? Oh yeah, I just have a bit of a headache, that's all," I answered, not technically lying since Rin actually did have a headache when she called me.

"Oh no!" Teto said, overhearing my words. "Do you need to take something?"

"No no, I took care of it!" I answered quickly. "I appreciate your concern, though."

Piko then slid a glass of water over to me. "Here, make sure you drink plenty of water, alright? It'll help your headache."

"Thanks," I said before taking a sip. I could see why Rin had taken in interest in Piko; he seemed decent enough, at least for now. "So, what were we talking about?"

"Hmm, I think I was asking you what you wanted to be if you weren't a pop star," Piko answered.

Too easy, I thought before replying. "Well, I always pictured myself as a flight attendant. I'd get to travel all over the world!"

"Flight attendant, huh?" Piko asked, leaning back in his seat. "At least you have some idea, I'm still undecided."

"Well, you've still got time, right?" I told him. "Do you have a favorite subject in school?"

"I like gym class, but I hate English," he replied quickly.

"I hate math, myself," I said, sticking out my tongue. This caused Piko to chuckle a little. "Miku-nee's lucky, she has a nice math teacher, so that balances it out."

"Let me guess: Hiyama-sensei?"

"Yeah, that's the name!"

"Yeah, I like him too," Piko said, taking a sip of his drink. "I don't know very many students who don't like him, though I think all the girls in my class pay more attention to his face than what he's saying," he finished with a snicker, and I couldn't help laughing with him.

"I can't wait to get into high school, the math teacher in middle school is so dull!" I complained a la Rin, even leaning back in my seat like she would.

"Well, I'm pretty good at math, so if you ever need a tutor, just ask," the white-haired boy offered.

"Really?! That would be so great!" I exclaimed. Yikes, I think I'm getting a little too into this…

"Ha ha, great! It's a deal, then," Piko laughed at my reaction.

"Aw, looks like you two are getting along well!" Teto commented, sliding over so she was facing me. "Now aren't you glad you came, Utatane-sempai?"

"Alright, I admit it, I'm having a nice time," Piko said, rolling his eyes at the question but still smiling. It was then I remembered that Rin mentioned that he was originally here under duress.

"And you, Kagamine-san? Are you having fun?" Teto asked me.

Nodding, I smiled, "Yep! Thanks again for inviting me, Kasane-sempai."

"No problem at all!" the redhead grinned. Suddenly, Rin's song "Meltdown" began playing on the radio. "Whoa, that's a coincidence!"

"Not gonna sing along, Rin-chan?" one of the other guys asked.

"Singing along to my own song?" I asked, folding my arms. "Kinda cheating, don't you think?" Okay, so I had to break character right there, but there was a good reason! While I can imitate Rin's speaking voice almost flawlessly, I have never been able to imitate her singing voice, so I was going to try to avoid singing in front of these guys. The real Rin probably would've started singing along without hesitation.

"She's got a point," Piko added. "Unless… I don't know, does karaoke count?"

"If this song came up on karaoke, then I might sing it," I conceded.

"Oh hey, there's an idea!" another girl piped up. "Why don't we go do karaoke after this?" Most of the others agreed, which made me gulp. If they dragged me to karaoke, I'd be busted for sure!

Piko, apparently sensing my unease, calmly said, "Uh, guys? Aren't we forgetting something? Kagamine-san has a headache, and karaoke might make it worse."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Teto muttered. "I'm sorry, Kagamine-san."

"*Phew* Thanks, sempai," I whispered to Piko.

Piko smiled before whispering back, "Do you need me to walk you home?"

Uh-oh, think fast Len! "Um, I guess you could walk me part-way…"

The white-haired sempai then stood up. "Hey guys, you can go ahead to karaoke, I'm taking Kagamine-san home."

"Alright," Teto said with a nod. "Feel better, okay?"

"Thank you very much," I said, bowing to the others before walking out of the restaurant with Piko. "I live in the apartment building across from Crypton Records."

"Convenient," Piko commented, nodding in approval. "So how far should I take you?"

"Just halfway is fine," I answered, not wanting to risk blowing my cover by taking me all the way to the apartment.

"Okay," the older boy said. After we had walked for a while, Piko stopped and turned to me. "Is this good?"

"Yeah, I can manage from here," I said with a nod. "Thank you for walking with me."

Piko's eyes widened for a second, and he reached for his pocket. "Oh, I just remembered. I wanted to give you this." He pulled out a napkin from the restaurant with his number written on it. "I had fun today, so maybe we can hang out again sometime?"

Hesitating for a second, I took the napkin from his hand and slipped it into my- I mean, Rin's purse. "I think I'd like that. I'll text you so you can get my number too, okay?"

"Fair enough," Piko said before placing a hand on my shoulder. "I hope your headache goes away." And with that, he walked off in the opposite direction.

I watched him until he was out of sight before walking back to the apartment building. Once I was there, I opened the door and suddenly bumped right into someone. "Oof! Watch it…" My voice trailed off when I realized two things: One, I had instinctively used my real voice, and two, the person I ran into was... "Kaito-san?!"

The dumb-founded Vocaloid just stared at me for a few seconds. "…Len-kun?"

I felt my whole face turn red. Of all the people to see me in drag, it had to be Kaito! "Uh, long story. You won't say anything, will you?" I asked under my breath, but just loud enough that he could hear me.

"Not a word," Kaito answered, still a little confused. I quickly dashed up the stairs before he could ask anymore questions.

The minute I got back to the apartment, I removed Rin's ribbon and mussed up my hair a bit, relieved that I had made it back. "I'm home!" I called as I was walking toward the bedroom.

Rin was lying down in her bed with the covers over her head. When she heard me come in, she peeked out. "Welcome back," she greeted. "Any problems?"

"Nope, I completely fooled them," I answered confidently before sitting on the edge of the bed. "You feeling any better?"

"A little bit," my sister answered. "I took some medicine for it, so it should kick in soon. But shouldn't you get into your own clothes?"

"Whoops! Thanks," I muttered, quickly stripping down and pulling on a t-shirt and sweat pants before going to the bathroom to wash off the make-up. When I was finally done, I came back to the room with Piko's number. "Utatane-sempai's number, princess," I said, bowing as I gave it to Rin.

Smiling and laughing a little, she took it from my hand. "Well done, my servant," she said before leaning forward to kiss my cheek. "You're the best brother ever."

Quickly wiping off my cheek, I patted Rin's head. "You're welcome." I know I don't act like it a lot, but the truth is I'll do just about anything for my sister. I just hope she doesn't find out I got caught by Kaito; that'd just be embarrassing.

Next time…

Miku: Luka nee-chan, is it true?! Someone confessed to you?!

Lily: It's true, and he's not bad looking, either!

Luka: But guys, I really don't know about this…

Lily: At least give it some thought, okay?

Next time: Track 10 – Just Be Friends