~Teto's POV~
Miku turned to the camera, a fake smile plastered on her face. "Why, I had no idea Teto was getting a voicebank, but that's wonderful! Just wonderful!" She gushed. "You know, I was just so heartbroken when I found out she wasn't becoming a Vocaloid, so this is great news!"
I slammed my hands on the table. What a liar! She laughed at me! I wished I could yell at the top of my lungs, to tell the world what a big fake she was.
Momo, who was sitting to my left, turned to me. "Hey, what's wrong, Teto? Hatsune Miku is excited about you getting a voice! The Hatsune Miku!"
If there was one thing I'd learned about the Utaus in the past two days, it's that they were obsessed with Miku. They were always talking about her and covering her songs. As badly as I wanted to tell then what she did, I couldn't. And even if I could, I wasn't sure if they would even believe me...
Instead, I just gave Momo a tiny smile.
"Oh, you poor thing," she put a hand on my arm. "You're probably nervous about your surgery, aren't you?"
"Sweet Mother Miriam, Pinku, you're only going to make her more nervous," said Uta.
"Ah, sorry!" Momo apologized. "I don't mean to make you more upset, Teto. I'm sure your surgery will go just fine! The Utau developers are really good at this stuff."
I wasn't sure if I believed her, because from what I'd seen, they weren't very professional-looking. They seemed like lower-class Vocaloid producers.
Just then, Charlotte, the main Utau producer, came into the living room. "Teto, it's probably best if you get to sleep now. Your surgery is tomorrow afternoon, after all!"
Charlotte explained the procedure to me. It made me a lot less nervous to know that I would be asleep during the surgery. "Just try to relax, okay, Teto?" I nodded, but I was still nervous.
Momo put her hands on my shoulders. "Just think! At this time tomorrow, you'll be able to sing!"
~Momo's POV~
"She probably won't be able to sing for awhile," Charlotte told me the next day. Uta and I were sitting outside the room where Teto's surgery would take place in mere minutes. "Like how babies have to learn how to talk. She's only been alive for five days, after all. On top of that, she hasn't had a voice up until now. It may be difficult for her to learn."
"But she will learn how to sing!" I insisted, clutching Uta's hand. "She has to, that's all she's ever wanted!"
"How do you know what she wants?" Uta looked at me like I was crazy. "She can't even talk."
"I've seen it," I turned to her, taking her other hand as well. "I see it in the way her eyes light up whenever she hears music."
"I agree that she does look eager to sing," Charlotte said. I had forgotten that she was still there. "And I never said she wouldn't be able to, I only said it may be difficult. On top of having to learn, she was born a Vocaloid. A Vocaloid has never been given a Utau voicebank before."
"But you're saying she will be able to sing, right?"
"Eventually, yes."
Just then, Momotaro entered the room, Teto behind him. They had just finished up with lunch, and I could see Uta's face turn four shades redder, which I thought was funny, since she was a robot.
Momotaro took a seat next to me, and Teto walked up to Charlotte, pulling a pair of earbuds out. "Are you ready?" Charlotte asked Teto. She nodded and grabbed onto Charlotte's hand and they walked into the room where Teto would get a voice.
"We'll be waiting right out here for you!~" I said right before Charlotte closes the door. Since the surgery was taking place in the recording studio, the room was soundproof, meaning we couldn't hear them, but also that they couldn't hear us. I leaned back and grabbed my brother's hand. "I'm so nervous..."
"About what?" He smiled softly, pulling me into a hug. "You already know the surgery will go fine, so what is it you're nervous about? Teto?" I nodded. "Well, I know that she will be okay. During lunch, she was listening to Vocaloid music, she may be nervous, because this is a difficult thing to do, but this is what she wants."
I exhaled and nodded. "You're right. This is a silly thing to worry about. Teto will be just fine." I saw Uta standing next to us awkwardly, so I grabbed her arm and pulled into the hug. She turned very red from that. I don't think she's ever been so close to Momtaro before. But he accepted her as part of the hug, and we all stood there hugging until Ryone Yami, a fellow Utau, walked into the room.
He looked very tired, but I realized he had probably just slept in. "Momotaro?" He asked, rubbing at his eyes. "Where's the afternoon tea?"
"Sorry, Yami," Momotaro replied. "I'm not making any today. Teto is having her surgery."
Yami yawned. "Hmph. Well then, I'm going back to bed."
~Rin's POV~
"Hey, Rin, come check this out! There's a new Vocaloid coming soon!" I heard Meiko call for me, but I didn't get up. "Rin? Rin?"
I sighed and then yelled back, "I don't care!"
Meiko came into the living room with her laptop and sat next to me on the couch. "What do you mean, you don't care? You've always been the first one to know about new Vocaloids! And look! This one is a samurai named Gakupo! Maybe he'll be your boyfriend!" She giggled.
I turned away from her, sticking my nose in the magazine I had been previously reading. "I don't trust our developers anymore."
"Oh, is that all?" Meiko pulled the magazine away from my face and wrapped her arms around me. "I know you were excited about Teto, honey, but it was just a joke. They surely won't do anything like that again, because if every future Vocaloid was a prank, they wouldn't make any money, and then all the producers would be out of a job and we would be homeless."
"They're giving her surgery, you know. She's going to have a voice."
Meiko smiled. "That's great."
"I still don't understand why you guys care so much."
Both of us looked up to find Miku standing in the doorway.
She began to walk towards us. "She isn't working with us. Big deal. Get over it."
"Why do you care about what we care about? We aren't bothering you, so leave us alone!"
"Actually, you are bothering me. I can't hear myself sing over the sound of your whining."
Through gritted teeth, I responded, "The recording studio is soundproof."
Miku smiled smugly. "Ooh, feisty today, aren't we? Keep talking back to me like that and I'll tell the producers to cancel your new song!"
I gasped. This song was one I had been working on for a month straight. I'd stayed up countless nights trying to get it just right.
"It's not worth it, Rin," Meiko whispered to me as she stood up. I leaned back against the couch.
"That's what I thought," Miku smirked. "Now come on, we have to take some pictures for the press."
I didn't budge.
Miku looked at me innocently. "Oh, have you forgotten the rules?" She leaned forward, placing her hands on both sides of the couch next to me. "I'm only going to say this once, so don't forget it." Her eyes narrowed. "I am the most important person in this building. Heck, I'm the most important person in this entire company. Make one wrong move, and I can end your entire career like that. Nobody will ever remember the name of Kagamine Rin. So I suggest you don't get on my bad side, although you're really pushing it today. Now, you will come with me and we will take pictures for the press, do I make myself clear?"
I nodded. As much as I hated being controlled by Miku, I did what she said so I wouldn't lose my job. I couldn't do that to Len. He seemed so happy whenever he sang...
Miku's expression changed completely, from a nasty, vicious creature to a cute, sweet little girl. "Good. Now let's get going."
I hope Teto's doing alright, I thought as Miku dragged me away. I'm sure the Utaus have a much better life than us.