Chapter One

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Vocaloid Academy. The most popular vocational performing arts school in Japan, specializing in cultivating and enhancing the singing voices and musical prowess of the students.

Vocaloid Academy is known everywhere. It's known for its ability to produce the best singers in Japan, and those singers eventually become famous in other countries. Every student is talented and special. Everyone has their own singing style, their own range, and their own timbre. No one is alike, that's why they all became famous in their own right.

The students there are called Vocaloids.

While the Academy has a good reputation, only the students there knows that every Vocaloid is different. Like normal students, they all have their own 'group'. There are the nerds and otakus who likes to sing anime and cartoon songs, the jocks who sing rap music, the band who sings and plays rock songs and instruments, the virtuoso who specializes in singing and playing classical music and instruments, the opera singers, pop singers, the choir members, and a lot more. But out of all these groups, there is only one that is considered and recognized as the best of the best in the Academy. The group is known as the Crypton Vocaloids.

The Crypton Vocaloids have been there since the school first opened, and always consisted of the best singers in the Academy. One of its first members are Vocaloids Leon, Lola, and Sweet Ann. The trio helped boost the Academy's reputation and then went on to become famous singers in their own right. A lot of the best students have been a member of the group, and this year is no exception. Crypton Vocaloids now consisted of campus sweetheart and the most famous Vocaloid in school, Hatsune Miku. The independent redhead with a temper Sakine Meiko. The campus heartthrob and resident ice cream lover and idiot (as called by Meiko) Kaito Shion. The quiet and cool former kendo student but secretly has a fetish for eggplants Kamui Gakupo, and the half-Japanese half-American student Megurine Luka. No one could deny that they are the best, and everyone has always looked up to the group as if they were already famous idols themselves. And Kagami Rin is no different.

Unlike the other Vocaloids, Kagami Rin has not joined any group in school yet. The main reason is she's a transfer student. The other reason is she's a loser.

Of course, it's not Rin's fault she's branded as a loser during her first day. It's a plain accident involving hard-to-open lockers, a malfunctioning drinking fountain, a faulty alarm clock, her extreme shyness, a mishap in a class where she is asked to sing, and a puddle of sake (seriously, how did those get in there?!) This minor accident, coupled with the fact that a lot of people saw her, now had her branded as a loser.

Originally, she didn't mind since all people gave her was a few looks and rumors. But it gradually became worse when Akita Neru and her gang became involved. It seems that they are the resident bullies of the school (since no school is complete without one, even something as popular as the Academy) and takes pleasure in torturing others and spreading rumors. Their usual victims are the otaku group (Rin heard that Neru has an undying rage for otakus) but now it seems Rin is their new target.

Their bullying are usually just taunts about her so-called annoyingly high and screechy voice and the occasional push and shove in the hallway, but after a few weeks, it got worse. No one knows why they enjoyed picking on Rin that much, and other nicer students tried to stop it, but no one is brave enough to stand up against Akita Neru and her second and third-in-command, Sukone Tei and Yowane Haku so eventually, they just ignored what is happening right in front of them and left Rin to deal with the demons themselves.

Eventually, the bullying left the school. Their group eventually became obsessed with Rin and even resorted to stalking her home. But Rin thankfully has caught on and often led the gang in circles until she can sneak away. She doesn't want her family to know about her situation in school. Her father has enough on his plate as it is. And she doesn't want to bother her older brother, Kagami Rinto, with her petty problems. Her mother died when she was very young, so she can't very well tell her about her problems. Rinto is usually the one who acts like a mother to her, so it can't be helped that he'll know about the bullying problem eventually. After all, he attends the same school.

Kagami Rinto's the best older brother anyone could ask for, though he has a tendency to be overprotective towards his only little sister. He is a good singer in his own right, and is part of the Pop Singers group. While he also attends Vocaloid Academy and is the only ally Rin has in school, he couldn't watch her back and protect her all the time because of their different classes, his extracurricular activities, his bonding times with his girlfriend, and the fact that he's several years older than his sister. As a result, while he does know about the bullying, he can't do anything about it.

In fear of angering or getting teased by Neru's gang, no one wants to be near Rin. The only one who even bothered is Kaito Shion, the kind but idiot heartthrob of the school. And even then the only reason he did that is because Rin is eating orange-flavored ice cream at that moment. It didn't make any difference because Kaito hangs out with anybody eating ice cream. Though they did have a good chat and he showed her around the campus until the ice cream is finished.

Now exactly a month has passed, and Kagami Rin is still being bullied and it showed no signs of stopping whatsoever. Though their torture did die down when a student transferred to their school. A boy with hair as blonde as Rin's, only difference is that it is held back by a small ponytail, and with eyes almost the exact same shade of blue. His name is Kagamine Len and he could have been Rin's long lost twin brother. They look more alike than Rinto ever did. He is cute, no doubt about it, but Akita Neru and Sukone Tei are OBSESSED with him. They follow him around, they got his phone number, they document his every move, they take pictures… all that fancy stalkerish stuff. Big surprise is, Kagamine seemed oblivious to all that. Based on Rin's observations, he's cool and kind. And when asked to sing in a class, he has an adorable and rich voice, with a range that can beat any ordinary girl's. He instantly became famous after that and just after two weeks, he is asked to join Crypton Vocaloids, which he immediately declined. It caused such an uproar, (who in their right mind would even reject that group's offer?!) but Len brushed it off and claimed that he didn't want to become famous. He then ultimately ended up with the Pop Singers group where he met Rinto. The two instantly hit it off, and by extreme coincidence, it seems that Rinto's girlfriend, Kagamine Lenka, is Len's older sister.

So now that Rinto's busier than ever because of his new friend, Rin is more miserable than before. The pause in Neru's bullying resumed after a week, and Rin is now left with no choice but to take it. It usually doesn't work when she tries to defend herself, so what's the point in trying any longer?

Gradually, they became more physically violent. And whenever Rin asks for help from the teachers, they instantly refuse. It seems that Sukone Tei is feared everywhere because of her violent and sadistic streak. Even teachers are afraid to trigger her wrath.

And that is how Vocaloid Academy, which is a known and respected school with an excellent reputation, gradually became hell for Kagami Rin.