Vocaloid: Re:VERSE [Miku x Luka]

9 | Luka

"Look!" Miki's shrill voice sounds atop of the reverberating music, devilish red eyes glinting as she holds up a small, plastic object. "I found a lighter discarded on the floor. I wonder if there's any gas in it?" She twiddles it around in her hands, almost as if admiring it, before clicking the top in attempts to ignite a flame. It kindles momentarily, before almost immediately burning out, causing the redhead to pout in dissatisfaction.

I roll my eyes — only Miki could catch sight of a dropped lighter in a room full of people. Honestly, it's probably been trampled multiple times at this point, and that sounds pretty unhygienic if you ask me. "What are you even hoping to do with that damned thing anyway? Set someone alight?" Sometimes I can't help but wonder how that girl's brain works.

Miki narrows her eyes and tosses the lighter aside. "Well, if anyone had a pack of cigars I'd be totally willing to light one of those bad boys." She tilts her head, long red hair mimicking the movement and falling over her shoulders loosely. "Though, now that you mention it, I saw Lily earlier with her cheer team. She'd make a great target, don't you think?"

IA leans back in her seat, grabbing her drink and taking a long gulp. "I speak on Luka's behalf as well as my own, and I have no objections." She side-glances me momentarily, though I avoid eye contact, instead casting my gaze down to the floor.

The performance went pretty smoothly. Dancing onstage wasn't as magical as it used to be, but I suppose it was still pretty fun. Nostalgia hit me like a truck the moment I stepped onto that stage; the blinding lights, the cheering of the audience, the echo of the music through the speakers, and the pure happiness I felt as a little girl with big dreams.

The day is slowly drawing to a close, and my friends and I are hanging out at the after party, laughing, chatting and — you guessed it — getting drunk out of out minds. Drunk Miki is even more chaotic than sober Miki, if that's even possible; with a bottle of vodka in her hand, she's a walking tragedy waiting to happen. Meiko's a heavy a drinker as it is, so it takes a lot of alcohol for her to feel the effects, and IA? Well, she's most definitely a philosophical drunk, and after a sip of cider, she believes she is the modern day Socrates. Her loud and sometimes unwanted condescending opinions have landed her in one or two scuffles, but that's a tale for another time.

Yukari and Ring are the only two within our circle that have earned the title of "not a complete idiot whenever a bottle of alcohol is present". Ring refuses to drink, and Yukari manages to control her portions just right without completely losing all self control. As for myself, I suppose I'm a mashup of all types of drunk, and that can either be a blessing, or end in total disaster and a terrible hangover.

Thoughtfully, I rest my head in the palm of my hand, deep thought enveloping me whole. My prior lack of enthusiasm slowly faded away over the course of the day, and all in all, it's been fun. Interesting, to say the least.

My mind wanders back to the blue haired girl from earlier — Miku, was her name? Seeing her break down from the anxiety she was bottling up really broke my heart, and in a way, she reminded me a lot of myself only a year or so ago. When I transferred schools, all of a sudden I was thrown into the spotlight. Girls would look up to me, attach themselves to me, want to be me, and at first, it was nothing but overwhelming. On top of that, an exorbitant amount of pressure was placed on my shoulders from my parents — they wanted me to strive for perfection, and set me unrealistic goals that only caused severe anxiety for months. They never provided me any sense of comfort, only expectations I could never reach, and to an extent, that hasn't changed.

My mother wants me to lead the childhood she never lead, hence why she stuck me in dance class and wants me to achieve the best grades possible for every minor test I sit through. It's almost like she wants the best for me, but for her own benefit rather than mine; after all, she wants me to be intellectual and successful, but my happiness and mental wellbeing has never seemed to have crossed her mind.