Ai Death Beam, Right?
-Rattle rattle.
I stepped off the plane at the airport, dragging my suitcase with oversized sunglasses perched stylishly on my nose. Ahh... everyone's staring at me and Dad. This familiar gaze... no helping it, I guess. Time for me to say something.
"Dad, I told you to stop dragging around that character-covered suitcase."
"Respect my tastes."
"Sigh..."
It was only a two-day, one-night trip, but man, I missed this scent... not luxurious, just the plain old familiar smell. Speaking of which, where the heck is Mom? Daughter and dad go off for a quick getaway, and no contact? ...Well, I didn't reach out either, so we're even.
By the time we'd cleared immigration and customs, my stomach was rumbling. I'd stuffed myself silly at the breakfast buffet, but it was crazy how quickly it all digested.
I immediately suggested lunch to Dad, and he gave me this "Already?" look. But he must've been craving Korean food too, since we headed straight into the slightly... no, pretty damn pricey Korean restaurant at the airport.
True to the steep price of the kimchi jjigae, the side dishes came out neatly arranged and pristine.
"Kuhh... now this is the stuff."
"...Haru, why are you sounding so much like some middle-aged uncle today?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Never mind..."
The spicy, hangover-curing kimchi jjigae hit just right—perfectly flavorful, even if it cost a whopping 15,000 won, double the usual price. I could practically picture someone spitting blood, yelling, "This ain't real Korean food!"
Of course, Korean dishes take a ton of effort, so it made more sense than charging 15,000 for pasta. But hey, that's human psychology for you.
We hopped into Dad's embarrassing self-portrait of a car—his itasha—and headed home. I started decking out my computer desk with the souvenirs from Japan, the figure Yuri-unnie picked out for me, and the Sora Group goodies.
The Sora Group swag was surprisingly varied and practical. There was even this oversized shirt that made me wonder if it'd fit, but thanks to my chest, it hugged perfectly.
I laid down an artifact pad under my lonely keyboard, popped off some keycaps, swapped in new ones—got really into customizing. If I sold this setup secondhand, it'd fetch a premium, but I'm not the type to offload gifts like some rude jerk.
"Sigh... time to make some music."
Perfect timing—the Sora Group hooked me up with premium versions of the Vocaloid program and MR production software. The tradeoff? Reinstalling the Korean patch, which was a pain.
But trading a little hassle for free premium software? Total win. Mo... no, Sora Group made all their programs free. It's not like we're pirating or stealing them—good deal for everyone.
"Premium really is better."
Way more instrument options overall, plus finer controls. These paid programs usually run at least 100,000 won a pop. By dinnertime, I poured my soul into crafting the MR for Requiem of the Goddess.
"Hmm... but how do I pass along the lyrics?"
When I sing myself, the lyrics are crystal-clear in my head, so it's easy. But handing them off to someone else? Kinda frustrating.
Maybe just provide a version with lyrics synthesized via the Vocaloid program.
...Yeah, okay, it's definitely because singing it myself would be too embarrassing, so Vocaloid it is. I felt a twinge of guilt making Yuri-unnie sing something I'm too shy for, but the iron triangle in my heart—Lee Haru—is worn smooth by now, and Yuri-unnie's a pro! She'll nail it.
*
"Gyaaaah!"
Monday morning hit without my phone alarm. I'd gotten so absorbed in MR production that in just one day, I cranked out half the track. At my normal pace, I could've hit 70%, but the gap between the legit software and my pirated version actually slowed me down a bit.
"Ha... even with the slower pace, half done... this body's perfection is unreal..."
Puffing up my ego meant I was about to be late. I threw on clothes at super speed, brushed my teeth quick, and bolted out the door.
"Dammit, dammit!"
No cliché of chomping toast while running—just pure sprint. My uniform skirt flapped wildly, but with no one around, I hauled ass. Forgot to set my phone alarm while composing and crashed. If only I had some martial art like Mountain Monarch Moon Music Score, no tardiness worries.
"Huff... huff..."
Not some manly "Paowun" panting—more like a super cute girl gasping for breath. Thinking of Paowun made me kinda wanna hit up a doujin event... Ugh, seriously. If school started at 8:30 like in my past-life guy's memories, I'd be toast for sure. I barely made the gate at 8:58 and dashed to class—exactly on the bell.
"Lucky..."
I collapsed face-first on my desk, panting raggedly in exhaustion, when I felt Jisu's piercing glare.
Man, I'm wiped. I'd lose to ten elementary kids in a fight right now. Obviously, I'd be the one fighting ten.
Me, Lee Haru, true equal-rights advocate—I'd dropkick girls too... Wait, I'm a girl? Anyway, I go all-out even against kids.
Hmm... on second thought, juvenile delinquents are kinda scary? Getting beat by one and losing your marbles is a famous tale. Hell, there was that near-miss with a whole "TouchLaw Tribe" species spawning.
"Our Haru... you ghosted all weekend?"
"Uh... huh?"
"We... weren't we gonna hang out this post-exam weekend, like since middle school?"
"Well~ something came up suddenly..."
Jisu shot me a venomous look. Lately... isn't she way sharper than usual?
-Thwack.
"Eek..."
"Fine, fine~ What's the point of having just one friend if you're gonna ditch her~"
The flick to the forehead brought tears automatically. But I came prepared for this.
"Here... a gift."
"Huh? Outta nowhere?"
Heh heh... predicted Jisu-mode. I grabbed some New York cheesecake dessert from the Japan duty-free, based on stuff I overheard chatting with Yuri-unnie. Honestly... I hate cheese desserts, but most girls love 'em.
Aah... what a delicate alpha male... no, fe-male I am. Too thoughtful for my own good~
Jisu's face—shocked she got a gift, like "Can't hit her now that I got this, right?"—was priceless. Total S-vibe, straight out of some hot guy's playbook.
-Thwack.
"Eek... why again?"
"Haru... everyone's here, you can't just share with me—what'll the others think?"
"...I brought an extra one specifically to share?"
"...Uh... well... but flicking you stays in your memory as my win, right?"
Dammit... how does she know that drip? 'Gotta cut back on jokes around Jisu.' I ripped open the extra and passed pieces to half the class. Including that weird guy who confessed to Jisu and got chewed out.
...He better not try confessing to me this time. Lucky few at school watch VTubers, so no classmates hounding me like stars. Speaking of VTubers, Yuri-unnie popped into mind.
Hmm... Yuri-unnie's fine, right? Thinking about Requiem of the Goddess lyrics stirs up guilt again. But that avatar—so lewd? No, her flat real body? Anyway, isn't it her fault for having a flat chest?
Yeah... this is all her doing...
-Thwack.
"Why hit again?!"
"Dunno... just felt like it..."
Why's her intuition so sharp lately? Or did she awaken her S-side? Hmm... Jisu in Yuri-unnie's avatar outfit? Heh heh heh... No, it's a bit... no, pretty naughty, so disappointing I can't just blurt "This jerk!" over the phone.
School wrapped up as usual, quick chat with Jisu, then home. I finalized the first verse MR part and sent a Drive link via Yuri-unnie's NewTube account.
Aah... mission accomplished. If I tapped the full power of this guy's memories, I could snatch the "JPOP Master" title from the Japanese, right?
But like hero Himmel, I won't abuse this power. Himmel dug petite elf kids, so he'd get Yuri-unnie too. If even a hero's like that, my actions serve the greater good.
Hmm... but since I'm making it, Japanese lyrics or not, is it JPOP or KPOP? Original plan was full MR, but she wants lyrics first, so lyrics it is.