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The line seemed to go on for miles. Volunteers were seen keeping the crowd in check, making sure everyone had their tickets ready for when the doors opened. One man adjusted the hood on his head, eyes scanning the line of strangers for any familiar faces.
He could not be seen here, that was for certain.
By his calculations, the chances of seeing anyone he knew was low. He didn’t know anyone who was into this sort of thing. Unless there were closeted otaku from his university, his secret was probably safe.
A vocaloid concert… He never thought he’d actually attend one. His interest in the voice synthesizing application had started from simple curiosity, but quickly grew into a guilty pleasure that he must keep secret at all costs. He wouldn’t be here today if he hadn’t misjudged the time his dad would come home, catching him listening to the newest songs over his bluetooth speaker. Being the ever supportive father that he was, much to Senku’s begrudgement, he decided to surprise his son with tickets to one of the smaller, fan sponsored shows.
Senku sold the extra tickets online. He refused to even humor the thought of inviting his friends.
“Hey, want an energy drink?” Senku jumped at the voice behind him. He blinked at the can offered to him, before looking up to see a pair of shining emerald eyes framed by white bangs. The person behind him in line was wearing a previous year's concert t shirt, a Miku colored bandanna around his neck, and a matching poofy hat. “They’re handing them out for free!”
Senku pursed his lips, hesitantly accepting the drink from the super fan. “Thanks…”
“Is this your first concert?” The stranger asked with a dazzling grin.
Senku shifted his weight. “Maybe.”
He laughed. “Thought so. You look so uncomfortable.”
Senku narrowed his eyes, ignoring the laughter as he took a sip of his free energy drink.
“Is it good?” The stranger asked.
Senku blinked at the label of the drink. Melon flavored. It had a picture of Miku on the can.
“Yeah.” Senku muttered, mesmerized by the limited edition Miku product in his hand.
“Great!” The stranger smiled again, and Senku found himself avoiding his gaze as he took another sip. He stuffed his free hand into the pocket of his oversized navy hoodie, hoping the other would catch his antisocial hints. He didn't. “Oh, do you have a light stick?”
Senku raised an eyebrow. “A what?”
“One of these?” He pulled what seemed to resemble a wand from his belt loop, switching it on and changing the colors from green to blue, yellow, orange, red, and pink.
Senku stared at the device before shaking his head. “No.”
“Here, have one of mine then.” The stranger held out the stick.
Senku glared suspiciously. “Why?”
“This is your first concert, right? You should get the most out of it, and if you wait in the merch line you might miss the beginning of the show!” The stranger pushed it into Senku’s hand. “Just take it, you don’t have to give it back.”
Staring at the light stick, Senku quickly flipped through all the colors. If having this would enhance the experience of the concert, then he didn’t see why not. He grinned. “Thanks.”
“No problem! I’m Saionji Ukyo, nice to meet you.” Ukyo held out his hand.
Senku chuckled at the formality. He slipped the light into his pocket and took Ukyo’s hand. “Ishigami Senku.”
“So what’s your vocaloid story?” Ukyo asked, gripping the brim of his hat and adjusting it on his head.
Senku couldn’t stop the laugh that pushed past his lips. Was this guy serious? The smile Ukyo held didn’t falter in the slightest, and Senku could only shrug. “It started when I was researching voice synthesis for a silly robot side experiment I was conducting in middle school. I discovered concatenative synthesis, people using voice splicing to imitate human speech, which lead to vocaloids as a prime example, and from there I was hooked.” Senku chuckled at the memory of finding vocaloids. He shook his head. “Actually, I think it's turned into the only music I listen to anymore. Why listen to real people when you can listen to a synthetic voice perfectly tailored for the composition?”
“Isn’t it cool?” Ukyo’s eyes seemed to shine. “They’re a little uncanny, but it gives them a charm. The newer models can even simulate vibrato!”
“You have to give it to the software developers, they’ve really outdone themselves.”
“Right?” Ukyo laughed. Senku found himself smiling at the sound, hiding the curve of his lips by taking another sip of his drink.
A cheer moved down the line of people like a wave, and with that they finally began moving forward. Senku was surprised by the size of the venue despite the fact that it wasn’t an official concert. People moved in all directions, some going directly to the concert hall, while others went to stand in line at the merch counter.
“The merch will still be available after the concert!” Senku blinked at the familiar voice in his ear, turning to find that Ukyo hadn’t left his side. He yelled above the noise from the crowd. “We should go to the hall to get a good spot!”
“Ok.” Senku responded blankly. Ukyo smiled, taking Senku’s hand and causing the teen’s ears to burn. “Wha-?”
“Let’s go!” Ukyo led the way through the crowd. The concert hall was huge, and there was already a heavy crowd surrounding the stage. On stage was a huge polarized glass panel surrounded by light fixtures and additional screens. Senku found himself grinning, excitement filling him at the thought of seeing the holographic technology used in person.
Ukyo stopped before reaching the crowd by a couple of meters. “Here,” He stated, releasing Senku’s hand and turning to the teen. “Here we'll have the best view!”
Senku blinked. “How many of these have you been to?”
Ukyo laughed, scratching his head under his hat sheepishly. “Um, a lot? I really like Miku…” Ukyo tilted his head. “Who’s your favorite?”
Senku hummed. “Out of the main six, or all of them?”
Ukyo’s eyes shined as he laughed. “Let’s start with the main six!”
Senku grinned. “Yeah, Miku is great, but I think Rin is my favorite.”
“Rin has such a cute voice,” Ukyo nodded approvingly. “And of the others?” he tilted his head.
“IA.”
“YES!” Ukyo cheered. “Thank you!”
Senku laughed. “You too, huh?”
“Three things,” Ukyo held up three fingers. “Best voice range, best choreography, and amazing english-”
“And cutest design.” Senku surprised himself when the words slipped out of his mouth.
“You’re so right!” Ukyo pulled out his phone, showing off his IA lockscreen. “Don’t even try to tell me she isn’t the cutest girl you’ve ever seen!”
Senku chuckled at the smiling 3D model of a vocaloid on Ukyo’s phone. “I see you’re a man of culture.”
Ukyo burst out laughing. “Was it destiny for us to meet?”
Senku snorted, about to reply when the lights started to dim, and the crowd that surrounded them began to scream.
Laser lights started pointing towards the stage as everyone around them began to chant. Ukyo pulled out his light stick and switched it to Miku’s color immediately. Senku followed suit, eyes fixed on the stage as the live band tested their equipment.
The music started with a song that Senku instantly recognized. Ukyo cheered, waving the light as Hatsune Miku digitally appeared on stage. The hype in the room was contagious, and before Senku knew it, he was waving his stick in the air as well.
I’ve come here
From beyond the bounds of science
I didn’t come with a leek
But I wouldn’t mind having one
Um, I wonder if you could hurry up and install me on your PC?
Is something wrong? You’ve been staring at the package forever!
I’m gonna
Miku-Miku you
And push myself to sing better
I’m gonna fill your heart with Miku
So you’d better get ready!
I’ll Miku-Miku you, for reals
I’ll do my best to the very end
I’ll Miku-Miku you, for Reals
So why don’t you relax a little?
“Yeah, Senku!” Ukyo nudged him, barely restraining himself from jumping with the happy beat. “Relax a little!” Senku chuffed, rolling his eyes as he lowered his hood from his head, releasing his spiky hair from its confines. “Oh my god!” Ukyo cried.
“What?” Senku yelled back.
“Your hair is a leek ! You’re a super fan, too!” Ukyo laughed hysterically until the music ended, completely ignoring Senku’s attempt at explaining himself.
“ Hi hi!” Miku’s voice out into the crowd, causing everyone to scream their hello’s back. “ I’m Hatsune Miku! ” She introduced herself with a cute pose, and Senku held himself back from completely losing his cool like everyone around him.
But fuck, she was so damn cute.
“ I will be singing for you today! I hope you enjoy the show my friends and I perform for you !”
Ok, Senku might have actually cheered with the same amount of hype as Ukyo that time.
Miku Sang classics: “Romeo and Cinderella,” “Arifureta Sekai Seifuku,” “Kagerou Daze.” Sometimes she changed outfits, and Senku found himself entranced by the physics of her clothing, obviously improved since the old Youtube videos.
Miku and Luka performed “Akatsuki Arrival” together. Luka preformed “Just be friends,” Kaito preformed “Cantarella,” Meiko performed “Lover's Suicide Oblivion.” Senku nearly lost his mind when Lin sang “Paradichlorobenzene,” and he was sure he completely lost it when Rin sang “The Lost One’s Weeping.” “Remote Control” was a blast, as words flew across the glass screen next to Rin and Len.
By the time “Rolling Girl” started playing, Senku thought they reached the peak of their night. His voice was hoarse, his legs sore, and the experience was turning into a blur of colors and beautiful robotic singing and his screaming. And he wasn’t the only one; his new friend looked just as much a mess as he felt.
But Senku could probably handle one more song before passing out completely, right?
Miku stepped into the light in a white flowing dress, and Senku’s eyes shined like stars. “Is she going to sing…?”
Ukyo waved his blue light. “Please be what I think it is!”
With the first note of the piano, they knew.
Together we watched
The stars filling the window
Reflecting us
Senku was grinning from ear to ear. This was it, the song he was hoping to hear from the very beginning. He turned to grin at Ukyo, only for his smile to fade.
On a night of countless moments
Counted off on our fingers
I asked you…
And time stopped.
Ukyo’s eyes were closed, a faint smile across, and his lips were moving along with the words.
I said “I like you,” but you looked away
You pretended not to notice
Enough already!
When you’re beside me
My orbit is always
Circumpolar
I can’t comprehend the angles of
Your thoughts, rippling like a tremolo
And If I chase you
The feeling I’ll lose something
Floats up, and sails away
When Ukyo opened his eyes, he flashed a dazzling smile to Senku as he mouthed “This is my favorite song!”
Senku grinned, feeling heat flush across his face as he turned around and sang with Ukyo.
Hold me!
We’d be on our own had we never met
Catch me!
I’ll leap over Denebola
A procession that heeds no one
Just like you, my star
As I chase you, a panorama comes into view
Above the music lines, I see a shooting star
I’m going to sing, so shine bright, SPiCa
Miku spun around as the music played, and Senku grabbed onto Ukyo’s shoulder. The elder peeked at Senku as he leaned close to his ear.
“Thanks for talking to me!” Senku yelled through the sound of music and screams.
Ukyo smiled.
“Of course!”
They laughed together.
I want to laugh
I don’t want to be alone
I want to hear your answer
Even if I’m too scared to listen
I’ve spent so many nights
Just making my way… into the future
I searched, avoiding the twinkling stars
Asking whose side the myths are on
With a sigh, I mark this blue afternoon
I think of you, and mutter your name
But such a shallow love could never reach you
I want to see you so badly
The sound of my piano overflows with pain
I hope the lingering echoes reach you
Hold me!
We’d be on our own had we never met
Catch me!
I’ll leap over Denebola
A procession that heeds no one
Just like you, my star
Chase me, and you’ll see everything
Above the notes, I see a shooting star
I’m going to sing, so shine bright, SPiCa!
As the guitar played in the background and everyone began jumping, Senku took another moment to catch a glimpse of his new friend, feeling his face radiate more heat when he caught those green eyes peeking back at him.
Ukyo leaned forward. Senku shivered when he felt his breath on his ear. “I was hoping she would sing that!”
Senku chuckled, leaning back towards him. “Me too!”
Senku forgot his exhaustion. The next song played, and he and Ukyo cheered with the rest of the crowd.
“Ahhh, that was a good concert!” Ukyo cried, lifting his hands in the air as they exited the venue.
Senku chuckled, slipping his hands in his hoodie’s pockets. “I guess it was pretty good for my first concert.”
“You should go to Magical Mirai, the screen there is twice as big, with screens all over the stage that they put to use!”
Senku grinned at the wistful look on Ukyo’s face. “Sounds like a blast.”
“Yeah, it’s great…” Ukyo sighed. “Now my life has to go back to the daily grind…”
“What, you’re not this eccentric all the time?” Senku smirked as Ukyo blinked at him, reaching up his finger to shyly scratch his chin.
“Actually, this is the only time I really let loose. I work in the military, and I’m usually more reserved than this.”
It was Senku’s turn to blink. “The military?”
Ukyo nodded. “I’m a sonar specialist, so I spend most of my days silently listening.”
“No way.” Senku stated.
Ukyo laughed. “Yes, way.”
“That’s… huh,” Senku said, cooly. He tilted his head. “So you come to vocaloid concerts to be loud?”
“Basically, yeah...” Ukyo laughed. The smile on his face made Senku’s chest tighten, although he couldn’t exactly place why. “Hopefully I see you at the next one, right, Senku?”
Senku felt a heavy weight wash over him. “Yeah… the next one,” He fiddled inside his pocket before pulling out the light stick. “Oh, you probably want this back…?”
Ukyo looked down at the light stick, a smile crossing his face before shaking his head and pushing the light stick back. “No, you can keep it for next time!”
Senku’s grip tightened on the light. “Th-thanks…”
“No problem, um…” Ukyo looked like he wanted to say something, only to be interrupted by the sound of a horn honking. Both of them jumped, and Senku turned to see his dad pulled up to the curve, waving at him.
He wanted to curl into a hole and die there.
“Um, that’s my ride. I guess I’ll…” Senku hesitantly took a step towards the car. “See you at the next concert?”
“Wait! Um…!” Ukyo began patting his pockets, reaching inside a back pocket to pull out a sharpie. “Give me your arm.”
“Huh?” Senku blurted intelligently.
Ukyo laughed as he held Senku’s hand and pushed up the sleeve to the hoodie. “Relax, it’s a sharpie but it will come off…” Senku held his breath as Ukyo wrote a string of numbers across his forearm. “There!” He slid the cap back on his marker. He shot Senku a dazzling smile. “Text me, okay?”
Senku gaped. “Uh, yeah, sure. Um… tonight?”
It was the first time he saw the other blush, the sight of it knocking the wind out of his lungs. “If you want to.”
“Cool, tonight then.” Senku lowered his sleeve, careful not to smudge the letters that were written so carefully across his pale skin. “Bye, Ukyo.”
“Later!” Ukyo waved as Senku walked up to the car and sat in the passenger seat.
As soon as the door closed, the smile disappeared off his face. “I told you not to pick me up.”
“I was excited! Was it fun?” Byakuya caught Senku in the corner of his eye, a smug, knowing smile playing across his lips. “Who was your friend?”
“None of your business.” Senku propped his arm on the door, catching the sight of faint stars through his reflections. He smiled, humming a familiar song as he processed the excitement of the night.
He was so glad his dad caught him listening to vocaloids.