Chapter Text
Emu Otori led a life governed by little but her own whims.
That wasn’t a bad thing; certainly not to Emu herself, at least. If life wasn’t sprinkled with plenty of wham-bam or ziiiip-pow, then was there really any point?!
Sure- this meant that Emu often walked the fine line between endearing free-spiritness and wacky impulsivity, but this was something that became tolerable to those she was acquainted with and well-appreciated by her nearest and dearest.
All this was to say that today, Emu’s whims had threatened to strike once more.
It was a warm, breezy afternoon in Shibuya. The weekend was upon everyone and Emu had opted to spend it poking her head in and out of the local shops as she plotted ideas in her head. Her initial plan was to come with her two super-wondahoi classmates, Saki and Shiho, but said plan had fallen through after Saki had sent her a super apologetic text the previous night explaining that Leo/need had ended up needing that weekend for Band Practice. It sucked, but at least it gave her time to think. Plus, Honami had agreed to make her Apple Pie as a compromise, so there was no way she could be upset for long!
And so here she was. Watching. Studying. Bouncing from shop to shop with wide eyes and a sparkly smile.
That was, until she stopped.
Emu had come upon a shop she had yet to visit. Some kind of antique shop with a brightly (if slightly chipped) painted sign. A variety of wares could be seen through the equally vibrant windows, all of various prices.
However, one item stuck out to Emu bright and clear.
A CRT Television.
Rui had expressed a desire to bring non-stage technology to the Wonderland SEKAI several times over. A television was one of the items that had been suggested many times before. Not only would it serve as entertainment for the younger WXS Vocaloids when the team wasn’t in the position to put on a show, but it’d also give her the chance to study certain plays and movies with her Troupemates from the comfort of SEKAI itself.
As long as you held onto an item while UNTITLED was playing, it’d be transported with you to SEKAI, right? And Emu was definitely stronger than she looked…
The 30,000 Yen price tag glimmered in the window. As an Otori, it was certainly within Emu’s budget. And for some inexplicable reason, it seemed to be calling Emu’s name. Well- not literally, of course. And so with a nod and a grin, Emu skipped through the shop’s door.
“Wondahoi~!” Emu greeted, heading straight to the cashier and placing the necessary bills on the counter, “I’d like to buy the TV in the window, pretty please!☆”
The young, semi-flustered cashier darted her gaze to Emu, the Yen on the counter; then back to Emu- blinking a bit in confusion all the while, “Ah, Miss…! Are you sure you don’t want to spend that money on something a little more… high-end?”
“N~ope! He’s so cute and boxy, yanno? I don’t need all the boom-flash that the new TVS have! Mr TV is perfect as is! ♪”
“Well, if it’s what the customer wants…” The cashier went over to the window and began to lift- clearly straining a little as she did so. Seeing her distress, Emu walked over- easily transferring the CRT into her own arms. The mild stun on the other’s face warped into complete shock, but Emu only grinned in reply. After checking one last time that she’d left enough cash behind, she headed straight for the door with a chirpy “Thank you sooooooo much~!”, before setting off back to the Otori residence.
- - -
It took an hour or so, but other than that, lugging the CRT back home ended up being a breeze. Thank god the weather had been on her side and thank extra god that Hinata was the only Otori member that seemed to be home right now. After a little bit of a tight squeeze, Emu got the TV inside and called out to her sister.
“Onee-channnn! I’m home~!”
“Hey, Emu! Did you have fun?”
“Mhm~! There were sooooooo many wondahoi shops, a couple of them being brand spankin’ new!”
“Hehe, I’m glad! Well, since you’re back now, would you want to help me out with-”
Muffin tray in hand, Hinata emerged from the kitchen with a smile. A smile that froze in place the second her gaze landed on Emu and her new purchase. It wasn’t so much that she was angry or upset- despite her carefree and silly demeanor, the Otori family knew Emu had a strong grasp on finances; being both a strong saver and a careful spender. No- the shock more so came from–
“How the heck did you get that all the way back home, Emu?!”
“Ohhhh… Well, I just,” Emu reached down, before making a long and drawn-out lifting action, “And then I just lifted him aaalllllllll the way home! He’s pre~tty light!”
“He- ah, never mind… I’m just glad you’re okay…” Hinata chuckled, “But can I at least help you carry him upstairs? I don’t want you to accidentally strain your back…”
“Hmmmmmmm… okay ☆! Let’s do this! 3, 2, 1… LIFT!”
The CRT was hoisted up and, led by Emu, carefully carried into the younger Otori’s room. He was carefully nestled in an empty(ish) corner, eliciting an excited giggle from Emu. “Perfect~! Thanks, Onee-chan!”
“That’s okay…” Hinata nodded, ruffling Emu’s hair a little, “I was going to ask whether you wanted to give me a hand drizzling chocolate on these muffins, but I assume you’re going to be busy setting him up?”
“Yeah…” Emu’s body drooped a bit, before promptly bouncing back up, “Buuuttt if you need any extra help, just lemme know, ‘kay?”
“Alright! Good luck, Emu!” Hinata bid, “And be careful! If he’s old tech, ensure he isn’t going to be an electrical hazard!”
“Alrighty~!”
Satisfied, Hinata left the other girl to her own devices. And Emu immediately got to work, scrambling to pull up the UNTITLED file by balancing her phone between the TV’s antenna. After carefully pulling the box so it sat partially on her lap, the pinknette pressed play, sitting back and waiting.
“Heheh… I hope you’re as excited as I am, Mr TV! We’re gonna do soooooooo much in here together!”
After a few seconds, the all-too familiar technicolor triangles flooded her vision. Emu felt herself become lighter…
and lighter…
….
- - -
For some odd reason, Emu felt herself arrive in SEKAI in a somewhat drowsy state. Had she fallen asleep for a second? Had transporting such a heavy item with her caused some technical issues?
Wait. As Emu became more alert, she became slowly aware that the TV had gone… missing. Was it still in her room? Was it stuck in the void? Would she… ever be able to bring the TV over to enact her plan...?
As silly as it felt, Emu did feel a little bit dejected about all this. But if she’d come over to SEKAI, she didn’t want to confuse her friends by leaving mere seconds (minutes?) after she’d arrived.
Besides, being in SEKAI always puts her in a good mood, right? So, Emu pulled herself up, put on a smile, and–
“EMU! Thank goodness you’re here!”
“Huh? KAITO-san?!”
Emu spun around, being met eye-to-eye with a rather flustered and freaked out troupemaster waving at her from a distance. He sighed heavily, before launching into an explanation once he got close enough.
“There’s this strange… erm… figure that seems to have made his way into SEKAI,” The bluenette explained, “Miku is talking with them now, but we need all hands on desk to investigate this!”
“EHHHHHHHHH? Then Detective Emu is on the case~!” Emu felt her mood lift in an instant, grabbing KAITO’s hand and shaking it rapidly, “Lead the way, Sir KAITO!☆”
KAITO nodded frantically, walking the girl further into SEKAI. A couple minutes later, they ended up bumping into Miku; who was practically vibrating with tension and energy. She bounded up to the pair- shaking the pinknette by the shoulders as her tail whipped back and forth behind her.
“Emu-chan, Emu-chan! You gotta come quick!! You’ve gotta meet the Giant Flashy Screen Man!!!”
“THE… THE WHAAAAAAAAAT?!”
“THE GIANT FLASHY SCREEN MAN!!” Miku began doing a bunch of exaggerated motions to try and convey just who this mysterious figure was, “MEIKO-San’s sitting with him now!! He looks sooooooooo cool~! I think you guys are gonna be such Wondahoi friends!☆”
Emu began blinking rapidly- flickering her gaze rapidly between the two Vocaloids. Miku’s panic only appeared to grow, while KAITO gave her a look of ‘I couldn’t tell you, but let’s just go and take a look.’ Before Emu could comment further, she and KAITO were both grabbed and pulled even deeper into the Wonderland SEKAI’s realm. After a few more minutes passed by, they finally reached where MEIKO and this mysterious figure were.
And oh. God. Emu could not believe her eyes.
“So you’re telling me that your screen is still a completely functional TV?”
“Indeed it is! And every channel I have is at my disposal, so I’m sure to find something that’ll tickle your fancy!”
“Fascinating… the technology in you has got to be incredible! I’ll have to look into you further~”
“W-well! I appreciate the compli— wait, look? MEIKO, buddy, I am ALL for encouraging CREATIVE expression, but I will not be fit to entertain you if you turn me into scrap metal!”
“Pick apart? Oh, no, no! I’m not going to do something like that! Maybe just a bit of— oh, we’ve got company again!”
Being acutely aware she was being watched, MEIKO trailed off- turning to the crowd with a grin. Following her lead, the figure also turned his head to the trio.
“Miku! KAITO! Hello again, my darling HOSTS!” The figure flashed an excitable grin, before it flickered to a curious expression upon seeing Emu, “Ah, do forgive me! You seem familiar, but I don’t believe we’ve met!”
He stood up, crouching quite significantly so Emu had the chance to shake his hand, “Allow me to introduce myself… Coming to you LIVE from… WONDERLAND SEKAI? I believe that’s what was said earlier?”
“Yessir!!☆” Miku confirmed. The figure nodded, flashing Miku another smile before continuing.
“Coming to you LIVE from WONDERLAND SEKAI, my NAME is–”
“EHHHHHHHHH?! MR TV?! IS THAT YOU???”