The Ballad of Miku and Teto

Chapter 7: Hanami Picnic

It's finally time to get going! We're having a party with tons of people, so I can't laze around today! Miku, Meiko, Gumi, Luka, Rin, and newcomers Mayu and IA and I make our way to the reserved park.

  Tons of people, like expected, are already there, but there are still enough empty spots for us to sit. Miku walks up to me, opening her mouth with that gasp you get when you're about to say something really exciting you've been considering. However, right before the words come out her mouth, a voice yells toward us, and I see that the boys have finally arrived.

  "They're here!" Meiko squeals, then stops, confused."Is it bad that I want a drink?"

  "You always want a drink!" Rin laughs.

  "Oi." Miku looks more bitter today than usual. Is it because of the boys? Then again...

  "Hatsune Miku-san!"

  "Hatsune Miku?"

  "What happened to her hair!?"

  "Hmm." Miku takes her wine bag and sets it down with some of the other drinks.

  "Hey, it's Teto, right?"

  "Yes," I respond to the boy with a smile.

  "Flirting already, Len?" Rin grabs her brother, playfully teasing him."Teto is reserved! "

  "What?"

  "Meiko! You haven't aged a day!" I notice Kaito and Meiko catching up.

  Meiko scoffs, rolling her eyes."Of course not."

  Gumi, Luka, and Meiko then decide to avoid talking to boys and sit with each other, near their fans. While Rin harasses her brother, I look for Miku. Didn't she want to sit with me? If so, then where is she?

  I finally spot her, in the back, setting down a goza mat. "Miku!"

  She turns her head in surprise, but I notice her eyes narrow, and with one turn of her head, she avoids my gaze. "Miku?"

  "Teto." That voice!

  I spin around at the gentle yet stern voice. My colleagues! Well, somewhat formerish colleagues. Momo Momone and Defoko Uta Utane. I try not to act so surprised. "Hey! Here for the event?"

  "Of course." There is an unmistakable tension in the air, that's for sure. Why? Why wouldn't there be tension, seeing as how your friend gained so much popularity, then left you behind to join the bigwigs? That's not quite exactly how it all went, but that's the gist of it all.

  "Let's catch up with some grub." Momo smiles sardonically at my gesture.

  "Food, always on your mind." Food isn't what's on my mind at this very moment. I just want to sit with someone else today, seeing as how MIKU wants to be a jerk.

  "Let's just go, Momo." Defoko finds us a place on the mat, with food within our range.

  "Here."I hand the two of them sear warmers.

  " Thanks."

  Momo was so nice when I last saw her, but now it feels like she has a vendetta against me. Then again, who wouldn't be embittered? Besides, a person can change in several years. Or was it several months...?

  "You're not with Miku," Momo cautiously points out.

  "It's... It's not my job to be with her all the time. Besides, I want to see how you two are doing."

  "We brought some other Utauloids with us."

  That's right. We're not the only ones. I see Ruko and Ritsu, Amane Line in the back somewhere. I also notice some other Vocaloids. SeeU, VFlower... A whole bunch. Then I notice the cute Kaai Yuki, attracting tons of attention.

  "The way you used to look at them, and the way you look at them now..." Momo drifts off, handing me a bento box.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Vocaloids. I mean, you practically are one," Momo jokes(I think).

  "No, she's not!"

  Miku? I look up to see her, her face slightly annoyed. "Uh..."

  "She's more popular than most of them," Momo defends her side. But I'm not really a Vocaloid. Fake fans can't tell ya that.

  "She's not a Vocaloid." Miku's voice suggests slight irritation, but I have no clue of what. Then, with an rather harsh voice, she says,"No one pays to use her." She leaves on that line, making me frown.

  "That Miku's at it again," Momo sighs, sounding just as irritated.

  I stare down at my bento. A god? No? A diva, yes. I'm not one of them, and I could never be, but you know what? "That's enough for me!" 

  "What?"

  "We're Utauloids, and that's just fine!" I speak loudly, and I notice Miku stop to listen. I'll really let her have it! Wait! I'm not saying this to be that way. If she wants to be blunt, I can deliver the same effect!

  "I never asked to be in their ranks," I say."It's not like I'm always treated well here, anyway." By all my other friends in the Vocaloid mix, I'm treated fairly well, and status doesn't matter. I fit in way more than Miku does, though. The girls just seem to like me more, a fact that I'd never voice unless I was forced to.

  Miku doesn't reply, and doesn't look back. She just returns to her seat next to Neru and some composers.

  "I thought you were turned, Teto!" Momo begins clapping, and I wonder if she thinks I turned into a zombie or something.

  "Into a diva."

  "Nah! I could never be like that." It hurts to get hurt by your friends, so why would I do that to anyone?

  "Let's dig in!" With Momo's offer, we say our thanks and begin eating under the light shade of the beautiful cherry blossoms. I almost sneeze as one rains down on me and lands on my nose, much to Momo and Defoko's amusement.

  All these people, all these feelings. However, I'll cross that bridge later on, at a time when the unity is broken and when relationships start going sour. But for now, I'm being blessed by my old friends and the sakura.