Before the Music

Chapter 4.1- Meiko

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of town, a brunette woman sat in a bar, drinking from beer bottle. She slumped to the counter, resting her head behind her arms. Her drink, which she had ordered several hours ago, sat unfinished in her hand. She pressed the semi-cool glass to her forehead, in an attempt to ease her forming headache. She had lost track of the time; assuming it was around dawn since the late-night crowd had started to leave. She closed her eyes and slowly started to drift off with the bar's cheap band playing the blues in the background.

"Oi! Haigō-san!"

The brunette's eyes snapped open and she lifted her head up, looking towards the person who had called her name. She eyed the cheerful silver-haired albino who came prancing towards her. The albino gazed at the brunette with her droopy red eyes and smiled.

"Not now Yowane-san. . . leave me alone. . . onegai."

"Haigō-san, c'mon! If you want to be alone, you're clearly too sober! Order another beer!"

"Yowane, please. . . just go away. . . let me drink in peace."

"C'moooooooon! At least let me drink with you! It's not fun when you're without company, hai?"

The brunette scowled and glared harshly at the albino. "Haku Yowane, you are clearly wasted right now. The last thing either one of us needs is more alcohol. I would offer to take you home, but I already have had more than I should've and won't be getting behind the wheel for several hours. It is in your best interest to call a cab to pick you up before you drink up all of your money. Neither one of us should stay here. I realize that you are completely drunk off your ass right now, and probably won't remember most of this, but you have a problem. I have a problem. We both need to get help."

She looked down at the unfinished beer in her hand. "Ah, who am I kidding? Baka. . . I guess for some people it's too late."

A sudden thump drew her attention to the floor, where poor Haku was passed out. The brunette chuckled to herself. "Cheers, my friend." She raised her bottle in a toast and finished the drink. Raising her hand, she flagged down the bartender who was busy wiping down the counter, and asked him to call a cab. While the bartender was busy dialing, Haigō bent down and attempted to wake her friend. "Mezameru, Haku. C'mon, you gotta get home."

The albino stirred from her place on the floor and groaned. A car horn beeped outside and the brunette helped her drunken friend out to the cab. When she reentered the bar, the bartender flagged her down, phone in hand. "Haigō-san, there's someone calling for you."

With a light groan, Haigō sat back at the counter and slumped her head down. She held out her hand and lazily took the phone when it was handed to her and mumbled a groggy, "Ohayō?"

The voice on the other end of the line replied, "Hello. May I please speak with Meiko Haigō?"

"This is her."

"Great!" spoke the strangely cheerful voice. "Kon'nichiwa , Meiko. My name is Lola. I represent Eienno Uta. I'm calling to confirm your audition appointment at our facility..."

"Wait, what audition?"

Lola continued talking as though she hadn't heard a word Meiko said. "At your audition we will be asking two things from you: first..."

"Wait-!"

"...you will preform an a Capella cover of a song of your choosing. Then you -along with two others- will perform on stage, a wholly original song..."

"Hold on-!"

"...composed by you. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please call me back."

"Hey wait a sec-!" But by then the phone had hung up, leaving Meiko with more questions than answers.

The bartender walked over, cleaning an ale glass. "What was that all about?"

Meiko paused before handing the phone back to him. "I'm not sure." Suddenly, she stood up and made her way to the door, grabbing her jacket from the coat rack on the way. "Put the bill on my tab, I'll pay tomorrow." she called before leaving.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call a cab?" He yelled back.

"No thanks! I'll walk!" And with that, Meiko ran out of the bar and started walking down the sidewalk. On the way, she pulled out a black flip phone from her pocket and dialed a familiar number. She held it up to her ear as it rang, once, twice, three times, before it picked up.

"Ohayō?" A slightly high-pitched male voice greeted her.

"Ohayō, Naoto Fūga. It's Haigō. We need to talk."

Kon'nichiwa! How is everyone? I hope you're all doing well. Well, no matter! I'm sorry that Meiko couldn't stop by, but she does say she's sorry for the long wait! If I remember correctly she was on tour with Megurine-san and Hatsune-sama. Anyway, question time! "Is that the same Haku Yowane as the Fanloid?" Yes it is! But since she's an Fanloid, her story will not be featured in this journal. Though she might pop in every now and then~! "Isn't Meiko's last name Sakine?" Actually, no. Meiko Sakine/Sakine Meiko is a fan-created derivative, created to portray what Meiko might have looked like as a teenager. And since Meiko is not a teenager, the last name "Sakine" will not be used. "Where did the name 'Haigō' come from?" Well, the name of the lady who donated her voice for the Vocaloid, was named Meiko Haigō, hence the reason the Vocaloid is named Meiko. "Who is Naoto Fūga?" Teehee. it's a secret~. Well, I guess that's it for me. I shall see you all later, when we meet a certain blue-haired, ice cream loving guy!