Chapter 5: The Opera of Tokyo Teddy Bear, Nostalgia's New Promise

Rin's first week at the Estate passed, which felt longer to Rin than it probably should've been. The internet was buzzing with the announcement of another Miku Hatsune concert, which would be livestreamed to Nico Nico Douga. Rin had asked Luo to pick up some snacks so she could watch it, to which Luo had agreed to do, probably so that Rin would be comfortable. Rin had learned from Gumi that the maids were permitted to leave at certain times of the day, and Rin had used the information to her advantage. While there was a Sun Room, it wasn't the same as being outside for the guests who were forced to stay indoors.

"Miss Rin," Luo entered Rin's bedroom with two bags in her hand, "I brought the items you requested."

"Thank-you Luo, I'd repay you but-" Rin began to say but Luo set the bags down with a smile.

"I live to serve you and the guests, and to ensure your safety as much as possible," Luo assured the girl, "Please do not worry about repaying us. Have a good livestream, Miss Rin." Luo curtsied and left the room.

"Huh, well, let's see what she got," Rin sifted through the two bags, seeing what all Luo had gotten. She was certain that Luo had gotten a few extra things since Rin had given her a small list, "Ooh, oranges. …Why do I like oranges so much?" Rin shrugged her thought off when she heard her door open.

"Rin" Flower and Ruby poked their heads in, seeming curious.

"Y-yeah? What is it?" Rin attempted to hide her candy, not wanting to share that much. I really don't want them to judge me for watching this concert either… I mean, it is Miku.

"We heard Miku Hatsune is having a concert livestreamed," Ruby spoke up first.

"Can we watch it with you?" Flower bluntly asked, "I can't get into my account and Ruby doesn't have a way to watch it." That's right, we're all Vocaloids. We all aspire in some way to be like Miku in some way. It's not just me anymore.

"Sure!"

"Rocker, Paper, Scissors!" Len and Arsloid were playing rock paper scissors to pass the time. Arsloid was rather bored thanks to some app downloading on his phone, and had been hanging out with Len earlier.

"Where's Lui?" Arsloid glanced at his hand: rock against paper, "5 to 10" Arsloid was ahead even with Len's fifth win.

"With his girlfriend." Len responded, "Rocker, Paper, Scissors!" 5 to 11, Len frowned.

"Are they dating?" Arsloid asked in astonishment. He didn't think Lui was that confident.

"No, but, since Merli's incident, they've been conjoined to the hip." Len replied, "Even Luka let him slip out to sleep in Merli's room the last few nights. I think all the maids find it adorable."

"Well, Luka is a hopeless romantic." Arsloid mentioned, "Kaito mentioned she was like that before I came her too. Right?"

"Yeah, she was…" Len sighed. Even a brainwashing hadn't gotten rid of Luka's more human traits, "Rocker, Paper, Scissors!" 6 to 11.

"Oh look, you're catching up," Arsloid teased. Len glared at him.

"I'll beat you Decoder."

'Saa nome omae suki daro? Yasai Juusu! Watashi ga kimeta ima kimeta!'

Meanwhile in Rin's room, Rin, Ruby, Flower, and now Gumi were glued to the screen as they watched the Miku Hatsune concert. Ruby was upset this was the encore song, though it was already 9pm. The four girls had been snacking for the past 3 hours on the floor watching this. Gumi occasionally made some backhanded comments in jest – or at least Rin hoped they were. The concert ended soon after one last song played.

"Ahhh, it was so good…" Ruby whined, "I wish I could be in a concert with so many admiring fans!"

"Maybe someday," Flower got to their feet and stretched, "Ugh, my back hurts."

"I was in a concert once." Gumi reminisced, "It was amazing…" The three others leaned in, "Woah! Wh-what?"

"You were in a concert, Gumi?" Rin asked in awe. Gumi rarely mentioned her past, much like the others, and she had already caught their interest.

"Y-yeah, I was," Gumi nodded, "I used to be a marketing model, until they got a better one, of course," Gumi weakly laughed at that, "But I was in a concert for the Winter Festival, or something like that. It wasn't as big as THAT concert, but, it was fun!"

"So lucky," Ruby pouted, "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Probably because it's none of your business," Gumi teased with a smile, "After all, I was booted a few weeks after. Still, it was fun! Well, I'm going to bed!" Gumi left with that, a sad smile on her face that beamed.

"No one really talks about their pasts, do they?" Rin muttered out loud.

"You can't blame anyone," Flower pointed out, "The past is terrible, well for some of us. My master passed away from illness and no one took me in. I've been here for almost two years now."

"I was abandoned," Ruby simply said. She got up and waved the two night before leaving.

"…I ran away." Rin mumbled, "It didn't work out, if you didn't notice."

"Well, being in here is sort of better than the streets," Flower yawned, "I heard Yuma had to do some terrible things to get money before he was here, same with Lily. Then again, this place is terrible too considering…well, night." Flower shook their head, not wanting to scare Rin, then left.

Rin rubbed her eyes, still not sleepy from the long night. There was only one thing to do now that she was alone in her bedroom.

The dining room was empty, save for Len and his glass of water. It was routine for him to normally get a glass of water regardless what was going on in the house. He couldn't remember why he had started this weird routine, but, at this point, there was no point in trying to get out of it. Once Len had finished his glass, he set it in the kitchen, and began the walk back to his room. As he stepped out into the foyer, something caught his attention.

'Kakuyuu~goro nisa! Tobikonde mitai to~! Omou~! Massao na hikari tsutsumarete kirei!'

Len heard the familiar song being sung faintly from the girl's side. He knew if he was caught up there, he would be in trouble, but, still, he went up the girls' staircase anyway. He made his way to Room 13, and put his ear up against the door to confirm his suspicions.

'…Tokei~ no~…Byoushin ya terebi no shikaisha ya'

It was no doubt Rin's singing. Well, that was obvious. It was Meltdown after all. Len decided to listen to the rest of it before barging in unannounced.

'…Kitto sonna~….Sekai ga~aaaaaaaahhhh…..ahhh…ahh…ahh…ahhh….ahhhhhhhh~!'

Rin had finished the song, and Len count faintly hear her saying thank-you and mimic a crowd. Len couldn't help but crack a smile at that. She was a weird one. Well, time to run her night.

Rin stood on top of her bed, waving her arms at the imaginary crowd. She was imaging herself there at the concert, singing to adoring fans. The thought of it-

"So you sing?" Len opened the door with a sly smile on his face. Rin yelped, not thinking he of all people would be here, and fell off the bed. Len cringed a bit as she hit the ground. HE'S DEAD.

"W-what are you doing in my room?" Rin yelled at him, flustered by his presence.

"I heard you sing. So you sing?" Len repeated his question innocently. He closed the door behind him to not disturb the others, or catch the attention of a maid.

"Of course I sing, I'm a Vocaloid!" Rin hissed. She then realized what he said and her face reddened, "You heard me?!"

"Yeah, I have great hearing." Len casually said, leaning against the door, "So what's it called?" Len asked. Rin stood up, glaring him down in her pink nightgown, "…Nice Princess Peach cosplay. Needs a crown though."

"It's called Roshin Yukai, aka Meltdown! You should know that!" Rin hissed, "And it's a nightgown, not cosplay you idiot!"

"Yeah, I know," Len smiled for a moment. He then said, "Most people forget the older songs, so I was shocked you recognized it." There was another pause before he blurted out, "Duet?" He didn't realize what he had said before it was already out.

"Duet?" Rin repeated in shock. Well it was too late to take that back, "…Right now?"

"No, later." Len seemed now more hesitant to her, but willing to do this duet.

"I don't know. Tomorrow? After tutoring?" Len mumbled out. He hadn't sung in forever, so he had no clue why he had blurted THAT out.

"Tutoring?" Rin repeated. What kind of tutoring? There's no schooling here, right?

"We were on Vacation when you arrived, so it starts back up tomorrow," Len explained to her, adding, "Girls got a new tutor, supposedly. Sooo? Yes? No? Maybe?"

"I-I guess?" Rin agreed.

"Okay," Len walked out of her room. Rin realized she was smiling, though had no clue why.

Why am I smiling?

Why did I just say I would sing with Tokyo…

Meiko sat at her bed, looking out the window to the moon in the starry sky. It was hiding behind a few clouds, but the moonlight illuminated the already bright city. It was a beautiful sight, or at least Meiko believed it was. Normally Meiko would be a sleep by now, but she'd been up for quite a bit. But, tonight was different. Very much so. Meiko glanced at her phone, checking the time. It had no service, but it was nice to have.

"I'm lucky to not have been noticed for that," Meiko quietly mused to herself, "The maids are still loyal to us though, then again," Meiko set her hands on her stomach, "There was no way for me to show symptoms, or to have any gained weight. But my interest in names, and such should've, oh well…"

"Meiko," Luka entered her room holding something wrapped in a soft yellow blanket, "I'm back."

"Thank-you, Luka," Meiko laid back down, sitting up against her pillows. Luka handed the blanket over to Meiko and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

"I'm sorry it took so long. It took a day considering everything, and how long it took for you to explain," Luka apologized. Meiko simply smiled, more focused on what she was holding.

"But you created the voice?" Meiko asked her. Luka nodded.

"I used a few samples. Definitely something, uh, she is a Chinese Vocaloid though," Luka added hesitantly, "I had to use samples that wouldn't be noticed." Meiko simply nodded, not seeming to mind at all.

"Luka, has anyone noticed the change in you?" Meiko asked her, "After what I did?"

"No, Meiko," Luka warmly smiled, "Thank-you for saving me from them… I have to play my part, but, it feels amazing to be me again." Luka had only praises for Meiko, and considered herself indebted.

"We can't let Soprano and Frankestein know." Meiko simply said. As long as Luka played her part in public, no one would figure out what Meiko had done to Luka. Of course, Luka still had to wear the maid uniform she despised.

"I didn't want to be a sex toy anymore," Luka whined, grimacing at her dress, "Even with an update, I wish to be fancy, but not like this… It's better than my life before, but, at this cost?"

"Luka, I advise against looking yourself up on an image searching website," Meiko smiled at her, "Gumi learned that yesterday. I still remember when Lily made that mistake."

"Ah-hem," Luka quicly changed the subject and asked, "What will you name her?"

"Well, since she's a Chinese Vocaloid, Haiyi." Meiko said, "What do you think?"

"It's perfect!" Luka clapsed her hands together, "I thought you'd name her Misaki, or something."

It'd been years ago when Meiko first arrived to the house with Kaito, Luka, and Yuma. Meiko had given up on her career as newer models came out. She had been the Miku of her time, but she'd been replaced. Meiko respected that. She had given up that career when she arrived her, as did the others for their own reasons.

"No, I've given up on my stage name." Meiko sadly said, "It's a dream now."

"I see," Luka sighed, "I must be leaving now. Take care, Meiko." Luka left the room, regaining her false persona as she stepped out of the room. Meiko was now alone, with the infant Vocaloid.

How had Meiko got to this point, or at least be holding an infant Vocaloid? Vocaloids indeed had the chance to be like humans thanks to the technology of the V2 era, but Meiko was a refurbished V3, using existing parts from the original times. V1s couldn't reproduce, and were much more robotic than the newer generations because of this. So, with Kaito's consent and love, they had agreed to making one themselves using spare parts. Yuma had helped Luka come to her senses – Meiko didn't know details – which had allowed Luka to join in on the plan. She had crafted their daughter. Meiko chose most of the details, since Kaito had been rather laidback about specific details. Haiyi had short cotton candy blue hair and matching eyes, and was perfect, calm like the ocean. Holding Haiyi strengthened Meiko's own resolve, once she had held onto for a long time.

"Haiyi, we'll get out of here one day. I promise, my dear,"

So, I changed the name of the baby to Haiyi, who is a recently announced Chinese Vocaloid because Haiyi is beautiful so please look her up if you got time. I forgot most of the story to be honest, so I'm making due with the changes and sticking to the original with some changes/insight added. Honestly, Len agreeing to a duet despite giving up on singing is probably more interesting to some people, so, eh. - KingdomMitsumi