Discordant Harmonies: A Teto X Miku story.

Chapter Four: The Sound of Thunder

Miku paced back and forth in the small practice room, her teal pigtails swaying with every frustrated step. Rin and Len sat on the floor nearby, tossing around ideas as they brainstormed for their next song. But nothing was clicking. The pressure to reclaim her spotlight weighed heavily on Miku’s shoulders. Teto’s rise was relentless, and no matter how hard Miku tried to ignore it, the fear of being overshadowed had grown too loud to silence.

“We need something big,” Miku muttered, her eyes narrowing as she stared out the window. “Something no one can ignore.”

Len glanced at Rin, raising an eyebrow. “Big like… how? I mean, we’re already pretty established. It’s not like people are going to forget us overnight.”

“They might as well have already,” Miku snapped, more harshly than she intended. She took a deep breath and softened her tone. “Sorry, Len. I just… I don’t want us to fade. We’ve worked too hard.”

Rin, ever the strategist, tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe we need a new angle. Teto’s thing is all that high-energy chaos, right? But we’re the pros. We need to remind people what true artistry looks like.”

Miku stopped pacing and faced them, nodding slowly. “Exactly. I want something that hits hard, emotionally. Something that shows depth, skill… everything Teto doesn’t have.”

Len sat up, snapping his fingers. “What about a ballad? Not just any ballad, though—something with an epic twist. It starts soft, lures the audience in, and then boom, it crescendos into something powerful.”

Rin grinned, her eyes lighting up. “Yeah! Something that starts off with your voice alone, Miku, then we join in to build up the tension. By the end, it’s this massive harmony, something no one can ignore.”

Miku’s heart raced as she imagined it. A sweeping ballad with intricate harmonies, her voice leading, supported by Rin and Len. It was perfect. She could already see the fans hanging on every note, captivated by the raw emotion and artistry that only she could deliver.

“I love it,” Miku said, a glimmer of hope returning to her eyes. “It’s exactly what we need. It’ll show everyone that I’m still the top Vocaloid.”

“Not just the top Vocaloid,” Rin added. “The undisputed top Vocaloid.”

Miku smirked at that, feeling a rush of confidence. For the first time in days, she felt like she was regaining control. Teto may have won over some fans with her wild energy, but there was no way she could compete with real artistry.

They spent the next hour throwing around more ideas, discussing lyrics and melodies, all of them getting more excited as the vision of the song took shape. The more they talked, the more certain Miku became that this would be the track that put her firmly back on top.

But just as they were starting to really dig into the details, the door to the practice room swung open, and Meiko stumbled in.

Miku blinked in surprise as Meiko, red-faced and swaying slightly, leaned heavily against the doorframe. She smelled strongly of alcohol, and her signature red outfit was a little more disheveled than usual. A bottle of sake dangled loosely from her fingers.

“Heyyyyy, guys,” Meiko slurred, her eyes unfocused. “What’s going on here?”

“Meiko?” Rin asked, wide-eyed. “Are you… okay?”

Len leaned in to whisper to Rin, “Pretty sure she’s drunk again.”

Miku groaned inwardly. The last thing they needed was a drunken interruption. “Meiko, we’re kind of in the middle of something important.”

Meiko ignored her, wobbling into the room and collapsing onto one of the chairs. She took a long swig from the bottle, blinking at them blearily. “Important, huh? You plannin’ somethin’ big? Something to take down that… that pink-haired menace, Teto?”

Miku froze, her eyes widening. How much had Meiko overheard?

“Uh, we’re just working on a new song,” Rin said cautiously, glancing at Miku for backup.

But Meiko was already on a different wavelength. She leaned forward, her expression darkening, as though she had just solved some great puzzle. “Teto. She thinks she’s so special, doesn’t she? With her curls and her… bubbly nonsense. Pfft. You don’t need to write a new song. You need to teach her a lesson.”

“Meiko…” Miku started, but Meiko cut her off.

“No, no, listen!” Meiko stood up, nearly toppling over but catching herself at the last second. “She’s messin’ with you, Miku. She’s tryin’ to take your throne. But don’t you worry…” She jabbed a finger at her chest. “I’m gonna handle it.”

Miku felt a chill run down her spine. “What do you mean, ‘handle it’?”

“I mean,” Meiko said, her voice slurring even more, “I’m gonna go find her and… and… kick her ass.” She hiccupped, standing a little straighter, as if the idea had sobered her up, but her balance was still off.

“Wait, what?” Len’s eyes widened, and he exchanged a panicked look with Rin.

Miku blinked, trying to process what Meiko had just said. “Meiko, you’re not actually going to—”

“Oh, I am,” Meiko declared, her eyes narrowing with determination. “I’ll show that Teto she can’t just waltz in and steal everything from us. From you, Miku.”

Rin jumped up from her spot on the floor. “Okay, I think we need to calm down.”

But Meiko was already stumbling toward the door, her bottle clutched tightly in one hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this. One punch, and she’ll be out of the game. You’ll see.”

Miku shot to her feet, panic rising in her chest. “Meiko, wait! You can’t just—”

Too late. Meiko had already thrown open the door and staggered out of the practice room, her steps unsteady but her determination unwavering.

Rin looked at Miku, wide-eyed. “What do we do?!”

Miku stood frozen for a moment, her mind racing. She had been planning to reclaim her spotlight with a song, not a fight. But now Meiko was out there, drunk and ready to take on Teto in some misguided attempt to defend Miku’s honor.

Len rubbed the back of his head, looking both amused and alarmed. “Well, this escalated quickly.”