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Len tapped his painted fingernails in a rhythm against the hardwood arm of the chair, his legs crossed over each other.
Energetic songs streamed through his earphones at a volume too loud to be healthy, while his face settled in an unamused grimace as he scrolled through his dashboard.
Not even bothering to look at the contents, he left a like on every post he came across, as if he was only on his phone for the sake of something to do. “What’re you still doing here?!” A shrill tone pierced through the noise of his music, “You should’ve left, like, an hour ago!”
Slamming open his bedroom door, a woman looking similar to he appeared, ripping off his headphones.
“Rin, surely I’m not that late.” He looked at the numbers flashed on his phone, only a few minutes later than the arranged time, “I told you, I don’t have to go yet.” Len reasoned with a whiny drawl.
The blonde scowled disappointedly, “Any later and it’ll be rush hour! What if you don’t make it on the train?”
“I’ll make it, don’t worry. And even if I don’t, I’ll just catch the next one or whatever.”
“That’ll make you even later!!” With a tired groan, Len stood up from his seat.
“Fi~ne, I’ll go now.” He glared, readjusting his suit pants and his blouse so that they hung off his body in a way that didn’t make him look like an absolute twink.
How come he was still stuck with this underage-looking stick of a body while his roommate flaunted all the curves and maturity one would ever want?
At this point, he was sure that he was the shorter one now.
Begrudgingly sighing, he tucked his phone into his back pocket after liking one more post and shutting it off.
“Happy?” He barked, slipping off the black hair-tie he had on his wrist before twisting it around a rather short ponytail as he shuffled down the hall.
Upon reaching the front door, he took off his slippers and replaced them with lace-up trainers sporting a dual yellow-white pattern.
He closed the door behind him, a pair of earphones socking him in the back of the head before being caught and stuffed into his breast pocket for him to wind up later.
It was a pretty long walk to the station. Going down the concrete stairway with a hand ghosting on the metal rail, Len spotted his train with doors open.
With sudden realisation, he started sprinting the rest of the way, hurriedly letting the turn-gates scan his pass and just barely making it through the doors, his shirt trapped between them like a giant clothespin ready to hang him up with the rest of the laundry
Grunting, he yanked the offending cloth free and then leant against a nearby support pole to exhale in relief.
“I told’ya, Rin.” The cocky guy thought with a smirk.
Not bothering to find a seat, he stayed put against his pole, itching to plug his earphones back in but deciding not to, for fear of looking like some rambunctious teenager.
He did, however, take them out for the purpose of winding them up and neatly arranging them back in his breast pocket so that it didn’t stick out in an undesirable way. While he waited, his fingers flicked at the collar of his blouse and weaved in and out of his tie, a plain yellow one that matched his untamed locks.
It contrasted quite well against the monochrome of his white button-up shirt and black cotton pants, in his opinion.
If only he had something blue to match his eyes.
Blue? Green maybe. He couldn’t tell. Aqua.
They always seemed to be a different hue of blue-green every time he looked in the mirror, sometimes more of one, and sometimes more of the other. Huffing, he shifted his train of thought to his destination: a rather large residence shared by four rather rich people, as the phone call implied.
Whoever conducted said call was vague enough about who those people were, but he knew something at the least. There was Luka, the middle-aged woman who originally wanted to hire him.
She sounded polite and sophisticated, especially with her use of complicated wording.
He wouldn’t doubt that she was the head of the household. There was Miku, a young woman who sounded around his age, maybe a bit older, who sounded particularly curious, if not devious.
Luka and Miku seemed to easily banter, but without any venom behind their toying words.
A friendship like theirs was probably a good one. There was Meiko, an older woman who didn’t seem to really care about anything and left before he got to know more.
She did mention something about a bar, so he assumed that she was the type of person who liked alcohol.
Although, perhaps she frequented such a place for another reason? And then there was Kaito, who was only mentioned by name and nothing else.
How mysterious… The speakers at the ends of the carriage announced the next stop, and he lifted his back off of the pole, preparing to exit the carriage.
Even though the railway took him most of the way there, he still had to walk a while before finding the house.
In fact, he almost walked straight past it while he was focused on double-checking the address.
“Wow…”
It was much fancier than he could have ever expected. These people wanted to hire him?
Some run-of-the-mill kid who’s begging for a job?
Damn, he really did hit the jackpot.
He almost felt a little nervous.
Was he underdressed for an occasion such as this?
Or maybe he was supposed to bring something, and he forgot?
Len stopped himself right there.
It’s just the first day of his job, surely he doesn’t need to worry so much. Reeling away his troubled thoughts, he gulped, making his way to the door and sounding the doorbell.
It was promptly answered by a woman whose teal hair was tied in impeccably long pigtails.
There was a moment where all that happened was them two, their eyes boring holes into each other.
And then the woman cleared her throat.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Ah, you're Len, aren't you?" She inquired, taking a bite out of some off-brand snack bar.
For such a posh house, it didn’t seem like one, what with her polka-dotted pyjamas.
"Y-Yes! That'd be me. Good afternoon and p-pleased to make your acquaintance!" Len replied, standing stiffly. “You’re exactly four minutes and twenty-two seconds late…”
The woman paused, then laughed.
"I’m just kidding! No need to be so formal. Come in, Lu-chan's been waiting for absolutely FO-RE-VER." And with a pat on the back, she led him into the dining room.
On the way, he managed to catch a peek of their living quality.
"Was that a full-sized TV? And a framed oil painting up on the wall? These guys are living a life of luxury!"
Len bit back his envious comments and faced the pink-haired woman sitting at the polished wooden table. "Hey, Tenta-Tits! Your royal servant has arrived." The teal-haired declared with a wave of her arm.
The other's eyes widened in shock.
"Don't call me that!!" Her mouth twitched into a smirk, betraying her outcry, "And he's not just my- He's not a royal servant!"
She turned her face towards Len.
"I apologise for -Miku- here," She said, elbowing the cheekily grinning troublemaker in the ribs.
He shook his head.
"No, no. You shouldn't apologise, she hasn't made any trouble."
“Yet.” Miku piped in. Giggling, the girl went off to throw her rubbish in the bin, which left the two with a few seconds without interruption.
“Anyway,” The pink-haired woman continued, “I’m Megurine Luka. So glad to finally be face-to-face with you.”
“Len, Kagamine. Although you already know that.” With such a casual introduction, he felt much more at ease.
“Here, please sit down and we’ll discuss whatever we need to.”
To her side, Luka slid over a few papers, stapled at the corner.
“So first off, is there anything from the interview that was unclear or that you need to review? We can go over that now to avoid confusion.” He mulled it over in his head, trying to pinpoint something he might have forgotten.
“Ah, uhm- Did we ask anything about uniforms? I think you said it was just semi-formal wear, right?”
The other nodded.
“That’s what I recommended, though you can wear whatever necessary if it makes you feel more comfortable.” … “So long as it’s not inappropriate or anything!” She added on just in case.
He took note of the other’s clothing: An airy blouse the colour of cherry blossoms, a glossy black pencil skirt, high heels of the same jet hue, and multiple pieces of golden jewellery,
He attempted to note only what she was wearing, as opposed to… Hmm… Boobies…
Nope! Cut! He’s doing it again, god damnit! Swiftly looking away, Len thought it might be good to go over his work hours and pay as well.
“So, if I’m right, I start my regular shifts at one and they end at five. Twice a week. I’m getting paid… how much an hour for this?”
He eyed the paperwork, searching for a specific number.
“You’ll be paid eighteen dollars an hour. This price considers the size of the house, how many people live here as well as your experience.” The first time he heard this figure, he couldn’t believe he was offered such a great deal!
So much better than McDonalds, that's for sure.
Now hearing it again made his heart thrum a delighted beat.
Well, he didn’t know if it was that good a deal or not, having little to no experience with work at all.
“That sounds good on my end. So what else do I need to know?”
“Well, I noticed that you didn’t bring anything with you…” She glanced behind him to check, “I think it would be practical of you to bring something to eat during your break?” Utterly humiliated, Len covered his face with his hands and grasped at his bangs.
“Shoot, I knew I forgot something.”
“Hey! It’s okay. If you like, you can help yourself when it comes to teatime! We usually have a platter of treats and something to drink, but we can make you an alternative if you need something different.”
While he agreed to it then, he noted in his mind that he probably wouldn’t want to bother them for the food.
“Additionally, knowing that we almost always have someone at home, I thought it would be useful to introduce you to everyone.” Luka began, “You’ve already met Miku and I, so there’s just Meiko and Kaito left.” At this point, Miku’s head popped out from behind the archway.
“Meiko’s still out.”
With her simple message delivered, she disappeared instantly.
After a second of silence and a blink, the other looked away from the now empty entrance, facing Len.
“…Alright then. To our misfortune, I guess you’ll have to meet her later. I do believe Kaito’s here, though. We can introduce you to him now. I’m sure you two will get along greatly.” She hummed with a smile.
Standing up, she led him down to the hall, opening a door and revealing to him the study. “Oh!” From inside, a man with ocean-blue hair looked up from his book.
“Hello Luka… Who is this?” He asked.
Luka introduced Len to the other with a friendly smile.
“This is Kagamine Len! You didn’t get to meet him before on the phone call, but he’s going to be our housekeeper.”
Len shyly offered a hand and asked “And you’re… Kaito?”
Kaito stood up, accepting the other’s outstretched hand in a careful handshake.
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
Seeing him not sitting down, he realised just how tall the blue-haired man was.
If it were any other, it would be quite intimidating, but with this person it instead portrayed a sort of wise, gentle giant feel. Luka clasped her own hands together.
“Isn’t it absolutely exhilarating knowing that you won’t have to be the only guy in this house every three-or-so days?”
The other laughed, his hand barely stifling the sounds.
“It would be a relief.”
“Anyway, now that you two have become accustomed to each other, I have a request for you. If you could be around to help Len when I cannot, it would greatly benefit both him and I in the long time.” She dragged out her sentences, “You know how I have a job that I must attend, being almost the sole provider of income in this household.” The man seemed to consider this, analytically flitting his pupils over the subject in question.
“I…” After some hesitation, he spoke, “I can try.”
“Fantastic!” Luka responded eagerly, “Then that checks the final item off the checklist. Len, it’s prime time that I show you the ropes.”
And with that, she spun around and headed out of the study, Len following behind her after a momentary glance at the blue-haired acquaintance, who was already sunk back into his book.
Something inside him hoped the two of them would get to know each other more.
For what reason, though?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Broom back in hand, Len got to work with the polished wooden floor of the living room, his previous hours spent dusting ornaments, picking up laundry, and wiping windows.
He supposed that at least three and a half hours had passed in cleaning the mansion. Briefly, he looked up at the wooden grandfather clock in the corner of the room, squinting to read the analog hands and Roman numerals.
Hm… Maybe only three hours.
He did spend a few minutes noting where all the cleaning equipment was and listening to Luka’s directions beforehand, after all. This job was something new, to say the least.
His mother had always ushered for him to graduate and get a good occupation in some prestigious business department or medical facility, but he lost his chance for that long ago.
He didn’t see what was so bad about cleaning anyway.
Len was used to tidying up the family home, like any normal, non-lazy person was.
In fact, in the pad he shared with Rin, he was the one to make sure the room didn’t overflow with empty instant ramen cups or leftover pizza boxes.
What a responsible guy. The plastic bristles of the broom collected small piles of dust, strangely satisfying him.
Sure, his opinion was a rare one, but he always thought of cleaning as somewhat therapeutic.
Maybe he only thought that because he wasn’t forced to do it all the time.
He really only cleaned if he felt like it. (Which was actually pretty often)
It definitely helped ease his mind and gave him something to do when he was stressed, or wanted to procrastinate on his homework as a student. In the midst of his work, his mind drifted to the events that transcribed at teatime.
Miku had in her hands a tray containing assortments of all kinds, miming something and chatting to the other with her.
Luka was sitting on one of the five barstools, nursing a hot mug of tea- or coffee, or something- and stifling giggles.
When he had entered the dining room, intending to only pass through, he was stopped by the teal-haired.
“Are you hungry? You haven’t had your break yet, have you?” She asked.
And that was how he had spent the next twenty minutes awkwardly nibbling on a biscuit and listening to the two converse, waiting until his “break” was over.
The blonde-haired man had just about completed the living room floor when the door slammed open.
“You won’t BELIEVE what happened today, Mi-” A brown-haired woman roared before noticing the stranger with a broom in her house.
Lost, his mouth drew into a tight line and he raised a single hand in silent greeting.
“Who the fresh heck are you?” The woman spat, taken aback.
“I-I’m Kagamine Len… I, uh, think you might know me from the… phone call?”
Should he have bowed instead?
Was he being disrespectful?
Was he supposed to wait for someone else to introduce him?Thankfully before his misplaced panic could spiral any further down the rabbit hole, Miku drifted through an archway to his left, ready to explain.
“Heya, Meiko.” She began with a yawn, “Now, no cause for alarm, but you remember that phone call we had the other day, right?”
So this was Meiko? Well, she sure looked the part. Speaking of looking...Jeez, the woman must've been confident. Just look at that shirt!It barely reached past where her ribcage would have been, and was probably the brightest firetruck red he'd seen in his life.It took the other woman a second to recall the phone call mentioned, fortunately not noticing the new housekeeper’s rather indecent stare, or at least ignoring so. “What about it?” She asked, jutting her chin at the teal-haired.
“You didn’t stick around for long, but I’m sure you at least know that we’re hiring a cleaner. Meiko, meet Len. Please don’t roast him.”
Meiko, immediately taking this as a challenge, deviously narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth.
“You better get ready to relive your high school years, boy. The stench of alcohol’s never gonna leave your mind until you’re long into the underworld.”
With a look of disbelief, the teal-haired immediately snapped.
“Oi! You can’t say that, he’s probably not even above drinking age!”Len’s left eyelid twitched, a grimace crossing his face.
“I… I am?” He stated, slightly offended by the misconception.
Miku glanced back at him with an expression of confusion.
She muttered under her breath, “No way. Surely not. This guy can’t be more than seventeen.”“You…” With a pause she righted herself, “You are, huh? I shouldn’t have assumed. Sorry about that.”
“Hey, people guess ages wrong all the time. No need to down yourself.” Meiko piped in, playfully slapping the apologising woman on the back.
She turned her attention back to the blonde-haired.
“Though I wasn’t just joking with the alcohol, boy. Here’s your warning now.” She grinned.
“I’ll… keep that in mind.” He replied, eyes darting away to the corner of the room. With a chortle, the woman wandered off, letting Len continue his work.
The other girl also was in the process of leaving, rubbing her neck awkwardly.
Something felt unusual, maybe awkward, about Miku in that past interaction.
Was she normally not the jokester attitude she portrayed when they first met?
“Ah- Miku?”
Back turned and almost entirely out of the doorway, she paused.
“Yeah?”
He hesitated, unsure of how to word his question.
“Are… Do you normally act like, uh, how you did just now?” The woman stayed quiet for a moment, turning back around to face him.
“Er… Sorta? If you’re asking if I’m normally the ultimate memelord, ruler of all that is the internet, then…"
"I am... But I'm also not.”She continued with a dramatic pause-ridden speech, a smile spreading all over her face.“I suppose I act differently… around different people. But... then again, doesn’t everyone, now that I’m thinking about it?”
Len cocked an eyebrow.
“Pardon?”
“Oh nevermind.” And with that, she ended the conversation.
Len took this as a cue to finish sweeping. An hour or two later, Len was double-checking the entire house, scanning it over for anything he had forgotten.
Upon discovering that he was all done, he happily sighed and dusted off his hands.
He looked back at the clock, checking how much time he had left.
Oh! He still had a few minutes left over.
At this point, Len was confused as to what to do now.
He stalled out the last of his allotted work time pretending to check over more things, wiping down counters already mirror-smooth, organising the cleaning tools in five different ways, flitting from room to room and surveying the area.
Was he supposed to just leave?
Did he need to tell Luka? He found the woman in the study, hovering over a stack of important-looking documents.
After a minute or two of oversweetly polite, pleasantry-filled conversation, Luka had overseen his cleaning work and declared that it was a good job.
“I knew you would be great at this.” With that, Len had bid his leave after receiving his pay, off to the station and his home.
The moment he opened the apartment door, he made a mad dash for his bed and flopped onto it in exhaustion.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Upon waking up, Len laid blinking and unmoving, wondering why on earth he felt so tired today.
Then the memories fitted themselves back into place.
With a sigh he moved the covers off his body and pulled himself out of bed, glad he didn’t have to do such labour every day of the week.
Before he did anything else, he remembered the pill bottle stashed in the draw of his dresser.“I should probably take one now.”
To be honest, Len still wasn’t used to things like taking medicine even after all this time.
“I don’t -need- the water to swallow it down, do I?”
Taking a chance, the blond forewent it and popped a single pill into his mouth, trying to gulp down the dry object.
…Not as easy as with water, but he did it after a try or two.
Would not recommend.He reached into the closet and pulled out an article of clothing.
With his completed outfit that he liked to call, “A Single Random Shirt”, he headed out for the kitchen to get some breakfast.To his surprise, he found Rin with a bowl of cereal at the table.
“It’s ‘bout time you got out of bed.” She said, lowering her spoon from her lips and ceasing the mouthful she was about to take.
“Is it already that late?” The blond wondered.
“It’s two pm.”
He stomped his foot. “Damn you and your casual mind-reading skills!”Realising after an unreal amount of time what the woman was holding, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why’re you having cereal at two pm?”
“Bold of you to assume cereal is only a breakfast food.” Was the other’s only response.
Well, she did have a point.
“Any left?”After a solid -what, like, ten minutes?- of waiting for Rin to finish her cereal, he was presented with the disappointment of an empty cardboard box thrown at his face.
“Okay then. I’m going to go eat at the shopping centre. Or something.” And with a wave of his hand he walked straight back into his bedroom.“Where are all my pants?”He rummaged through the clothes hung on the closet rack.
Nothing to be found.“Oi, Rin!” Len began, boosting his voice with a cupped hand to his mouth like a megaphone, “Spare me a pair of pants, would ya?”
From the other side of the thin, thin walls, there came a response.
“Get your own, dickbutt!”
Eventually, though, his bedroom door creaked open and a freshly washed pair of orange shorts was yote through the crack.
“Thanks.” Len replied.
Orange wasn’t really his colour, but it was close enough. - - - The mall was loud, as always, buzzing with people.
Even though Rin already enjoyed the last serving of cereal, she decided to pester him further and come along with him.
“We need to hang out more, I tell you.”
Fair enough.
“Whatever. But you’re paying for whatever you get.”The two eventually decided on getting fruit smoothies, a “healthy” drink that’s definitely not loaded with sugar.
Sugar or not, they’re still super good.“There are no tables!” Rin shrieked, gesturing wildly to the overpopulated seating area.
“Yes there are, ya dimwit.” Len gestured -slightly less wildly - to an uncrowded space that sported three chairs and, lo and behold, an empty table.
“Oh.”So they made their way over there, pushing past hustling shoppers and parents with megaphone-wielding kids -Oh wait, they’re not holding megaphones. How were they so loud then?!- and finally they secured their spot, sliding into the seats.“Whew..” He allowed himself to breathe, plopping his smoothie on the table and slumping onto the back of the chair.Both of the electric blonde-haireds sat in silence for a while.
Not much sound came from them at all, save for the occasional slurp on a straw.“So..?” Rin suddenly began, “How was yesterday? Hard work?”Why did she want to know?“Well, yes. I suppose. Hard work- but it was good work too!” He didn’t know what she wanted him to say.She nodded, not responding, only staring eagerly at him as if waiting for more.“I’m definitely glad I don’t have to do it every day…?”This time she prompted him with a question.
“Oh? When do you have it next?”“Uh… So, since I go twice a week, that would mean I’d have it on Tuesday. Two days from now.”The woman’s eyes -An almost lavender shade of blue that day- narrowed and she sat back.“You’re so lucky~” She complained, dragging her words out, “You have a job and you get paid and you only have to work twice a week- So much better than university~”Ah, yes. The sufferings of which a student must endure.
Len was too much of a wimp to face them, so he settled for a low-end occupation that will one day bite him in the back.“I don’t even wanna be a doctor or a businesswoman or a fancy schmancy something-or-other. I just wanna be a pop star! The new Megpoid Gumi!” Her entire being seemed to dazzle as she posed like her idol.“Who’s that again?”The dazzle was replaced with grey thunderclouds, she collapsed onto the floor.“Oh, right.” He corrected himself, “Underestimated pop star with a tiny fanbase.”
“And really, really good music!” She added, voice muffled by the linoleum tiles.Len let Rin pick herself up and seat herself back at the table.
Their smoothies had long been finished by now, but he still sucked on the straw, eliciting the most annoying noises possible.The other, however, was looking at him in a way that made him uncomfortable.
He stopped.
She was still looking at him, elbows propping her arms on the table, hands providing a place to perch her head atop of, smiling in a sadistic manner.“Stop looking at me in that way! What do you want from me?”“Teehee~”“Don’t you “Teehee” me, what is it?”“Did you see any girls you like there? Aren’t they super rich, ‘cus they live in a mansion?”“What the heck you can’t just ask me that!”She innocently placed her index finger on her pursed lips.
“What was her name, Miku? She’s your age, isn’t she? I think I was in a class with her a year or two ago. She’d be a good girlfriend. I’d know that of all people.”Len pouted and crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat, “I told you. I’m not interested in any of them.”“Really? Not even Meiko, or Luka? They’re pretty well stocked in a certain department, you know.” She waggled her eyebrows, pointing to her barely average chest. Suddenly, she had a thought.“What about him?”“Him?” He echoed, feigning cluelessness.“You know who I’m talking about. Gee~ I didn’t know you were into older guys~~”“Stop that! I barely know the man. He looks double my age for goodness sake!” He sighed, getting up to put his empty smoothie cup into the bin.
Why was his roommate so interested in his love life, anyway?
Those people Rin mentioned were only his clients. Nothing more.Well… They could be more.
He thought for a moment about what it might be like.
Wouldn’t it be weird?
Ah… Oh well. For now, he only worked for them. Only that.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The rest of the weekend passed by faster than the P names, which was frankly quite difficult.
He was already back on the train, heading to the Megurine mansion for the second time.When Len and Rin were on their way home from the shopping centre, he remembered her teasing him.
The woman just wanted some shipping material, the sick fujoshi!
He threatened to throw out her collection of manga if she kept pestering him about it. That shut her up.The speakers chimed and the pre-recorded voice announced the next stop.
Alright. Time to head off.As he walked, he wondered what Rin was up to.
She was probably still commuting in the sardine-can school buses.
Poor her, honestly.Well, the train wasn’t that much better.
He’d had his fair share of creepy dudes, rescheduled routes, loud foreigners, and the lot.He huffed and rang the doorbell again.
“He~llo!” A voice sang from the inside, and the door was swiftly swung open.
It was Miku again.
Was it her job to greet the visitors?“Not officially, but it’s just how it wound up.” She responded.Wait a minute-“Oh, so can everyone read my mind now?!” He complained.Miku laughed.
“I think, perhaps, you’re not noticing that you’re saying it out loud, Kagamine.”Putting his complaints behind him, he was invited inside and was prepared to get straight to work.
"So, where do you want me to start this time? Same as before?"The woman pondered for a bit."I think Lu-chan told me there were different things needed to be done today. Can't remember what, though.""Aha!" She snapped her fingers, turning to the hallway, "Kaito will know. Come with me, he's probably in the study again."Lo and behold, as she opened the study door, the blue-haired figure was reading the same book as the other day, but of course much further into it than before.
A pair of metallic navy glasses sat on the table beside him- however there was no glasses case to be found.
Miku sighed, took a deep breath, then screamed out in a booming voice,
"OH MY GOD YOU HAVE NO LIFE!!"
Kaito jumped in his seat, immediately looking up and shutting the book without marking his progress.
Len also jumped, shocked at how loud she could be.Returning back to normal, Miku waved, "Good afternoon, worm! Len's here again and he needs your guidance. Because my memory is literal shit, and yours is better than a supercomputer."
She affectionately wrapped her arm around the blond.
"So yeah! You tell him what to do for me, arigatou-gozaimashou-very-much!"Soon after, the woman left the room with only the two males remaining.
Len gave the other a moment to process- and to place a bookmark in his story- before he quietly asked, "Umm…?"Kaito glanced towards him, took a breath, and muttered something to himself in a voice croaky from disuse, counting on his fingers.
"The first *ahem* thing she said was to…" It was then that he paused."Hmm..." "Laundry.""Laundry?" Len echoed."Not all of our clothes, or anything. Just bedsheets and pillow cases and similar things." The other detailed.Len added this task to his mental list."Okay. So on Tuesdays I'm doing laundry.""And after that there's also this thing you have to do, and another thing as well, and then-"It took a few minutes, but he eventually noted down all the changes and added things to do.
"Thank you for your guidance, Sir. I'll get straight to work."
He decided that he'd be formal and bow- just in case.
When he looked up, though, Kaito's eyes had blinked twice, unaware, and was that the tiniest bit of pink embarrassment on his cheeks?"U-Uh, there's no need for those kinds of formalities- but I appreciate it anyways, though?"
"Oh! I'm sorry, hah, whoops. I'll try to not do that next time."- - -So apparently, washing and drying the sheets wasn't all there was to it, in regards to laundry.
He also had to fold the ones that went in the cupboard, and make the beds using the remaining ones.As he was carting the pile of mint-and-lemon-scented fabric to each bedroom, he accidentally bumped into someone."Oh! Sorry, sorry, Meiko-San!"
He peeked out from the side of the stack, and that was when he spotted the figure beside the woman."No big deal, Kagamine. You and your laundry alright?" Meiko asked in response.
The other person awkwardly stood to the side, not saying anything.
Len nodded and hurried back on his way.He later passed by Miku, and took the opportunity to ask her something.
"Hey, Meiko has an S/O?"
Miku responded with, “Sometimes.”Ah, okay.Wait.“Sometimes?” Len whipped his head back around, “What do you mean by sometimes?”
The other picked at her fingernails.
“I don’t think she’s ever been in a relationship for more than six hours, if you’ll even call it one. More like a one-night stand. She just might not be the type for committed romance.”He remembered his conversation with Rin from the other day, and was suddenly curious if what she said was true.“What about you? Do you have one-night stands?”“Not really, as far as I remember. I’ve got someone anyways.”“Do you know a girl named Kagamine Ri- Wait, you’ve got someone?”Miku laughed.
“I honestly thought it was quite obvious. God, Lu-chan’s such a great girlfriend, you know?”..Ohh! That explains it.“You like girls- it all makes sense now.”“Yup! One-hundred percent undignified lesbean!” Then the woman drew the conversation back, “So who did you ask about before? Ri-something.”“Oh- uh- don’t mind that. I was just asking if you knew my roommate. Her name’s Kagamine Rin.”“Ooh, same family name as you, how funny!” She pondered a bit, swishing the name between her teeth like gargling vegetable juice, “I think there might have been someone in my class named that? But it was a few years ago, so I don’t remember much.”Just then, there was a chime from the doorway.
Miku wriggled in her seat, “That’s gotta be Lu-chan!”Faster than a sadistic music factory, the teal-haired disappeared around the corner of the room, and Len could hear the door open.“Welcome home, you marshmallow!”Len couldn’t see this from his position at the table, but both girls were embracing each other in a tight hug.When they separated, Luka commented, “Marshmallow? That’s a new one.”“I was inspired by Len. We had a wonderful chat about my fantastic love life.”Speaking of the man, he had another question when they made their way to the dining room.“Let me get this straight: Meiko’s non-committal. You two are together. What about Kaito?”They pondered this question, suddenly quiet.
A royal-blue haze shrouded over them both, as they declared in unison, “We… have no idea…”
Miku skittered off to the hallway.
“I can go ask him, then we’ll know!”Soon, though, it was apparent that someone was missing.“Meiko-San, have you seen Kaito anywhere?”“No idea. Pfthahaha, he’s probably sneaked off to the library again, knowing him.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Whoo,” Len let out a sigh. The day’s work seemed so much longer than usual.Miku and Luka had taken one last sweep around the house, just to double-check that the missing Kaito wasn’t hidden away in a little corner somewhere.Afterwards, though, they agreed on Meiko’s word that he had gone out without letting anyone know.“He’s an adult, he’ll come back when he wants to.” Luka had explained.And so the others had ushered him back to his cleaning.The brooms and the dusters were all set back in their proper cabinet, and the blond looked over all the rooms one more time. Everything seemed to be okay!With that in mind, he finally made his way to Luka’s study to sign off.“Great job, once again! Here’s your pay,” She handed a few notes to him, “And you’re free to go. See you on Saturday!“Ah- thanks. See you!” Len was starting to get the hang of this “job” stuff. With his messenger bag flung over his shoulder, he soon left the Megurine household. As he was walking to the train station, a sudden reminder found its way into his head. “Oh, I gotta get some groceries.”He promptly made a ninety-degree turn to change his course.Without a shopping list, he had to rely on his own memory to decide what they needed.
Milk, yes…Bread? Not sure. Eh, they could live without it for a bit. Definitely need more cereal. Three crates of instant ramen, all of which for Rin.
Regrettably, he spent at least five minutes salivating in front of the deli section, hands pressed up against the glass.One day. One day he'll be able to buy as much Camembert cheese as he likes. After he managed to tear his eyes away from the temptation of honeyed ham and smoked salmon, he made his way to the register.All was going well, until it came time to pay."Sorry m- mister. You’re about seventy yen short." The internal panic was starting to set in."I'll- uh- I'll be right back!" His voice was rising. He sounded like a fucking mouse!Len hurriedly scooped his groceries off of the counter, letting the person after him go instead.Feet fell one after the other, loud clunking noises against the tile.Now a few steps away from the register, the chance finally surfaced to recollect himself.He looked into his wallet.Uguhhhhh… What do I do?? He couldn’t just nope his way home, find some spare change in Rin’s draw, and dash back- it’d take too long. The train ride took half an hour alone!There wasn’t anything on him he could use to get cash out, no credit card, no… whatever else.He’d already backed himself into the metaphorical corner of doom.“Ow!” He collided with someone behind him, his back probably smashing into the other and knocking off anything in their hands. Their cry momentarily shook him from his worrying.“Mygodsorry, are you oka-” It…It was him- he knew this guy!“Oh, I’m fine. Please don’t worry.” The man said, brushing misplaced strands of ocean-blue hair away from his forehead. Len couldn’t help the impulse that escaped him, “It’s you! Uh.. Kaito!”So he did slip out.The other man’s eyes widened, like a kitten caught breaking into the cat food cabinet. “… Right?” “Y-Yes,” Kaito admitted, unsure what to say, “Is Luka looking for me?” “Uhm, well, she told me that she’s just gonna wait. Said you’d come back when you want to.”“Ok.”…
Oh. It’s awkward now.
“So… What are you here for?” The blond asked, stepping back and pretending to sort out his wallet or something.“I was about to buy a bottle of Hojicha,” He held up the plastic bottle so that the other could see, “But the line is quite long, so I’m dela- waiting here for a while.”The question came out before he could stop it."Mind if I, like, chill with you while you wait? Or something like that?"It was plain to see Kaito's processors firing away. Was he thinking about Len's motives? Wondering if Len would ask for money? Steal some when Kaito wasn't looking?In actual fact, the blue-haired man was considering none of these things. He was panicking over the fact that Len had willingly asked to stay with him. Was this a trap? Did Len have something to say to him? Was he in trouble?"Uh… Go ahead?" In Len's mind, he let out a loud "Whoo!" and pumped his fist in the air.In real life, Len stuttered a few times, leant back on a nearby shelf, and tried to act nonchalant.And failed pretty miserably."C-Cool…"Standing next to the giant, he felt a little bit like he wasn't supposed to be here. "Hey, uh, Kaito. Can I ask you a question?"The aforementioned man tilted his head, interested."Do you dye your hair?" With this, Kaito's hand came up to feel at his locks."I mean- I've never seen such a rich shade of blue! At least, not in real life." Flustered, the blue-haired man responded, "Ah, actually, this is how my hair naturally is! It is caused by my mother's heritage.""Oh wow! Your mother's got blue hair too?" Now Len really wanted to meet his mother, see just how he got such beautiful- uh, cool looking hair.When the time finally came, he skittishly followed the navy-haired man to the cash register.Len didn't really want to part ways just yet, so he asked the other if he wanted to get something to eat and chat some more.Kaito agreed.So they crashed at a nearby ice cream van.The blonde went with his usual banana split, and was curious as to what his accompaniment would order."Could I purchase one vanilla sundae?" "Coming right up. Would you like sprinkles with that?""Ah- Yes please."They waited along the side of the cart for the vender to whip up their ice creams.As the vender handed them two freshly made orders, contained in white gloss-coated card cups and with a small plastic spoon, they both echoed a "Thank you" and found a table.Every now and then, idle chatter bounced back and forth between them, though they were relatively quiet.They probably spent more time dipping their spoons into their ice cream than actually talking, "Ah- damn it, ah-" Len blew air out of his mouth and grabbed a hand at his bangs."Are you okay?" Kaito asked, surprised."Y-Yeah.. Just a brain-freeze. Hff-"The other let out an "Oh" and a quiet laugh, "I see,"This man was laughing at him!Len bit back the urge to pout and simply prayed he didn't make too much of a fool of himself.After Len had recovered enough, he heard some more words from the blue-haired"I haven't had a brain-freeze for quite some time, but.." He paused to find the right words, "I can imagine it must be rather unenjoyable.""Mhm," Len replied in a somewhat bitter tone, "You'd be right about that."Hey! Now they could talk more. Or something.It was still pretty awkward, but maybe Len could ask a question he had been wondering for a while."Hmm.. Kaito, can I ask you a question, if you don't mind?""What is the question?" Kaito returned, a spoonful of vanilla soft serve ending his sentence."Uhm, so, why'd you leave the house before? Not- Not accusing you, or anything. Just.. Curious."The other sat back a little, not entirely sure on how to formulate his answer. "Well- I mean.. There are times where I just want to go out and. Not.. Be bothered. By everyone in the house?""Is that it?" Len asked, edging the other on."Uh.. Not entirely, I suppose?""You see, I kind of overheard your conversation with everyone. About their relationships and everything.""And I'm really.. No good with those topics. Words can't describe how embarrassed I get when talking about it.""So as soon as Miku mentioned going to ask me, I fled." Humiliatingly, Kaito laughed.The blond nodded his head in understanding, pointing his plastic spoon at the other."I suppose that answers my question.""What question?""Your, uh, relationship status, I guess.""O-Oh! That- Mn.. Yeah." He could already see the older's face flushing up, the ice-cold of the sundae doing nothing to cool him down.A moment of silence passed."Y'know, I'm honestly a bit surprised you're single. I swear a whole bunch of people would be itching for a piece of you."Kaito blinked."H- Fwuh- What?? What do you mean by that?"Awkward as ever, Len froze up and took back his words."Uh- I! Nevermind! Forget I said anything."He began to pack up his belongings, putting the banana split- unfinished- into a convenient bin that actually would not be there in reality."You know what? I-I should be heading.. Uhm.. Home. So. Yeah."Bumping into a table on his way out, he waved and said in a shaky voice, "Nice.. Talking with you??" And then he bolted as soon as he was out of sight.The train ride home was long and monotonous.Was it just him, or did the blond's heightened embarrassment create a physical aura around him, drawing a few stares?Ughhh~ I messed up big time.As soon as Len closed the door behind him, he realised that he forgot to buy those groceries.