The School Kids Are Acting Strange

I ended up creating a fixed nickname 'HALU' on the Vocaloid Gallery, exactly the same as my NewTube channel. Honestly, I could have chosen something unrelated to 'HALU', but as long as it didn't attract creepy fans, it had the advantage of enabling real communication through my activities. Not a bad choice at all.

What matters in the end is communication, after all.

If I were under 14, the process would've been a hassle, but since I'm over 14, I breezed through with phone verification and an email signup. Other countries just need email confirmation—another downside of Korea.

"Oh right, gotta change out of these pajamas. Ugh, so stuffy."

This cat pajama set was practically a full-body suit, and since it was so warm, I was basically sleeping in just underwear under it. And it wasn't even winter—it was spring. Wearing regular clothes under that furry thing? I'd steam to death. I tossed the pajamas aside and changed into my usual dolphin shorts and T-shirt.

Once dressed, I snapped a photo of the vampire version Iru figure displayed on my desk. True to its name, it had slightly protruding fangs and a subtly seductive outfit.

I posted it and hit refresh. Views climbed, and new comments rolled in. Must be the difference between anonymous and fixed accounts—way more comments than before. Most were just character-based con spam, but the view count was on another level compared to anonymous posting.

"Mmmph~"

Humans really crave attention, huh. Getting it felt like the buzz from booze in my past-life memories—tension skyrocketing.

Scanning the comments, one new one caught my eye.

Huh?

I just photographed the figure—didn't pose or anything, right? I zoomed in and spotted it: in the corner, the mirror faintly reflected part of my thigh in dolphin shorts. You wouldn't notice unless you scrutinized every inch.

That gave me chills. Someone zeroing in on such a tiny detail... creepy. No wonder they say don't post photos on communities carelessly. I get the "Ew... creepo typo..." ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vibes now.

Already regretting the fixed nick, I flung myself onto the bed to calm my nerves. The copyright for the song from that aegyo stunt hadn't processed yet, so Iru was basically off-limits for now.

"Haa... tomorrow's Thursday already... hate going to school."

Muttering to myself changed nothing. Staring at the ceiling, zoning out—no inspiration sparked.

You might say a plagiarist like me doesn't need inspiration, but nothing pulled me right now.

I'm not lazy by nature, but not super diligent either. This was burnout from non-stop sprinting lately—MR production, vocal tweaking, repeat, no breaks.

Something... a song that just feels refreshingly satisfying...Oh, there it is!

From the countless songs in my head, one hit perfectly. A vocal synth tune even normals could sing easily. When you think "refreshing," it's Prank's Function.

"Oh my god...! Forgot about this one."

Like Pavlov's dog, the urge hit, dopamine exploding through me.

I replayed the lyrics mentally—easy to sing, except the tricky MR. Great idea, but exhaustion won.

"MR work's the hardest part..."

Vocal synthesis with lyrics? Piece of cake for me compared to others. I remember lyrics and melody pitches perfectly—just plug 'em in. But MRs? Even knowing every note, combining sounds into that complex structure is brutal.

MRs have repeating sections that shift subtly—can't just copy-paste simply.

Just one day, but it felt tougher than usual. Walked to Jisu's for dinner, toured the basement, aegyo-bombed Dad—packed schedule.

Too much happened. I'm wiped.

I'd done my part on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the copyright site signup. Just waiting on Dad now. Annoyed, but it wasn't my face—just a thigh glimpse. No one's deducing me from that... right?

"Sigh... time to sleep."

I pulled the blanket over my head, regretted it instantly from stuffiness, and yanked it to my chest. Dropout fantasies swirled.

Pure desire to recreate all those past-life songs, but in college-obsessed Korea, quitting after middle school? Nah. Shelved the thought.

The vampire Iru figure seemed to watch me with red eyes. What a chaotic day finally ended.

I woke exactly 59 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seconds before the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠alarm. Silenced it, got up, and tried a line I'd always wanted to say.

"A strong and mighty morning. If you ask my name, it's Lee Haru."

Light stretches, then uniform. If I weren't a high schooler, I'd sleep all day. Up, but craving a full rest day.

The walk to school is always boring. Old Haru would've scrolled webtoons or videos, but not me.

No wonder people can't quit galleries once hooked. Always fresh content, but not always relevant.

"Heh, fun."

I don't post myself—that's noob stuff. Galleries are Korea's biggest community, but rep's iffy. Same for others, but galleries feel sketchier to admit.

No new refresh-worthy posts, so I quit the gallery, launched NewTube. Loved the surging views, but not here for my channel. Plugged in wireless earbuds from home, dove into this world's J-pop.

Input time. Past-life J-pop isn't inferior, nor is this world's. Study trends, upload fitting tracks—that's true creator mindset.

Wait... or not?

I hadn't analyzed trends before Departure or Declaration. "Hits are hits," sure, but trend-matching extends the hype.

Listening, I reached school. Pushed open the classroom door at 8:30—early enough.

-Scraaaape.

What I saw was utterly bizarre.

"Eek! What's with this scene?"

"Hey, Haru, you're here?"

Why was everyone studying in unison? Yesterday they were chatting nonstop—boys even played soccer at lunch. Jisu played with me, went home to chill more. Why the study mode? Missed something? Checked phone—no April Fool's.

"...Exams next week, Haru."

"Huh?"

Now I'm the weirdo. Jisu acted oblivious yesterday, then hits me with this betrayal. Overwhelmed by the vibe, I half-forced myself to study. High school's a mystery.