Lynne

Chapter 36

 The room was silent for a few seconds. Stunned expressions covered every face in the room, except for Tatsuo. And then, shaking the walls, he threw his head back and uttered a guttural laugh.

"You... you quit?" He repeated, letting out another laugh. "Is this your attempt at getting back in here?" He pointed towards me, then looked at Erik. "I expected better of you, Erik."

I kept my unwavering gaze on him.

"Have you forgotten about your contract?" He said incredulously. "The one you signed when you first came here? The one you already violated once?"

I picked up the stack of papers, skipping to the last. "By signing here, and on every prompted space preceding, you agree to the contents within this contract, while also agreeing to participate in the events and ongoings of Vocaloid until voided by the authority of the company." I read. Erik was breathing heavily next to me.

Tatsuo waited, and, when he realized I had nothing more to say, he held his hands out in front of him. "And? Your contract is still active. It wasn't voided by any authority-"

I leaned forward. "By signing here, and on every prompted space preceding-'" I paused, flipping to another page. "I did not sign on every preceding page." Finding the page, I slammed it down on the table, pointing to the messy scribble at the bottom. "That," I gestured, sliding it across the table. "Is not my signature."

The others looked at the paper as well, and I grinned as Len's eyes widened.

Discussing company affairs on any social media, or to any other person is prohibited, the top of the page read. His eyes snapped to me.

"Dude," he said, a grin forming.

He remembered. It was his fault. One of my first days here, too. The day we got our uniforms. He had jumped on the couch when I was signing, and, bam.

"Of course this is your signature," Tatsuo countered.

"No," I corrected, flipping to the next page. "That is my signature." Next page. "And that." Next page. "And that. But not this."

He stared at the long line I had drawn across the page months ago. "Give me this." He eyed it, then looked up at me. "Is this the original copy?"

"Yes," Erik answered for me. "And, don't worry. If you accidentally tear it, rip it, drop it, destroy it," his eyes flashed behind his glasses. "It is saved digitally in our records as well."

Len was still grinning like an idiot, the others were exchanging nervous glances, and Tatsuo read through the contract carefully.

"So, since I did not sign in all the preceding spaces, I'm not bound to that contract in any way. Because it was never authentic. Ever."

His eyes slid across the page. Kanon shifted uncomfortably next to him. With a bout of glee, I noticed that Anon's eyes were trained to the binder in front of me.

"So," I continued. "I'm under no obligation to stay here. So, I quit."

The papers flew across the table as Tatsuo threw them. "Are you really basing your argument on something so-"

"Small?" I asked. "Something so insignificant? Something that isn't a big deal?"

Len let out a laugh next to me.

"Quiet, Kagamine," Tatsuo snarled. He turned his attention to me once more, and then his anger disappeared. "Fine," he said, leaning back. "Leave. I don't care. We survived without you once, we can do it again." He extended his arms over the back of the couch. "I have eight more Vocals right in front of me."