Chapter 4: A Warm Welcome
“I’m back.”
“Hey, welcome back, Master!”
“You’re back?”
“Master! Where’s the gift? The gift?”
“Oh, mine too!”
A chorus of varied greetings met Master’s return.
Glancing at the colorful heads welcoming him, he gave a casual wave.
“No gifts.”
“What?!”
“Master, you cheapskate!”
Protests erupted, but he ignored them.
He never promised gifts in the first place—what were they expecting?
You get betrayed when you have expectations.
No expectations, no betrayal.
“But I’ve got a surprise.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Come on out.”
As Master stepped aside, a figure hidden behind him emerged.
Only then did they notice someone was there.
They hadn’t even sensed her, so well was she concealed.
“Wow…”
Long, light gray hair cascaded like a waterfall, paired with mystical blue eyes.
Though she wore a tattered gown, it only enhanced her ethereal aura.
The noisy house fell silent in an instant.
The girl flinched, then hid behind Master’s leg.
Her small frame vanished behind his larger build.
Only a few strands of hair peeking out from his waist hinted at her presence.
But her actions only sparked more curiosity.
Especially among the mischievous kids.
“New family member?”
“Where’d you find her?”
“What’s her name? How old is she?”
“Eek?!”
Orange and yellow suddenly filled her view.
A boy and girl, identical except for details like ribbons or pant lengths, appeared before IA.
“Hey, hey. I’m Kagamine Rin.”
“And I’m Kagamine Len.”
“Eek…!”
Faced with the twins’ close-up stares, IA tried to look away.
But like predators locking onto prey, they wouldn’t let her escape.
“Your hair’s so pretty!”
“Say something, come on!”
“Uh, uh…”
Rin cautiously touched her hair, while Len’s curious eyes sparkled.
IA’s mind went into complete panic.
She’d never experienced anything like this, and her brain had long since shut down.
Her gaze wandered, losing focus.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough. Let her rest. She’s been through a lot.”
Master, of course, stepped in to calm things down.
He gently pushed the twins back and turned to the others watching quietly.
“Meiko, Luka, take care of her. She’s probably exhausted.”
“Sure thing~”
“Got it.”
As the two women stood, IA’s body visibly flinched.
Her reaction was stronger than when the twins bombarded her with questions.
Could it be…?
A sudden thought crossed Master’s mind.
The Project IA researcher list.
Details were sparse, but the gender ratio was overwhelmingly female.
Since IA was a girl, they likely preferred female researchers.
Considering what IA went through, seeing adult women might…
“Ah, uh…”
Her trembling body looked pitiful at a glance.
She was clearly terrified.
The room’s lively atmosphere turned quiet in an instant.
Meiko, the woman with short light hair, cautiously stood.
As Meiko approached, IA’s movements shifted.
Her trembling didn’t stop, but one thing was clear—she was desperately avoiding Meiko.
No need to guess further.
Master almost nudged IA forward but stopped himself.
A wrong move could cause a misunderstanding.
Better leave this to Meiko.
Meiko was now right in front of IA.
As the distance closed, IA quickly dropped her gaze and stepped back.
Meiko inadvertently locked eyes with Master.
His deeply furrowed brow and nod told her everything she needed to know.
“Hey.”
First, start with conversation.
Meiko leaned slightly to meet IA’s eyes.
But IA desperately turned her head away.
Meiko nearly clenched her fist.
She couldn’t show anger here.
The girl would think it was directed at her.
“It’s okay. We won’t hurt you.”
Meiko smiled gently, speaking softly.
As the eldest of the Vocaloids, she knew how to handle kids with care.
“What’s your name?”
“…IA.”
Her voice trembled but answered cautiously.
The overly polite tone was a bit concerning, but getting a response was progress.
Time to move to the next step.
Meiko slowly reached out.
“It’s okay.”
The hair under her hand was soft but also rough in places.
Meiko could easily imagine how that roughness came to be—dragged on the floor, yanked…
She stopped imagining.
Instead, she spoke as gently and carefully as possible.
“We won’t hurt you. We won’t torment you. So, it’s okay.”
As Meiko soothed her, no one spoke.
Not the twins who’d been so lively, not the others watching quietly, not even Master standing before IA.
Everyone stayed silent.
“Can you trust us? We’ll never betray that trust. Here, a promise.”
Meiko extended her pinky.
IA looked up cautiously and opened her mouth.
“You won’t… report me, right?”
“Of course not.”
“You won’t… tease me, right?”
“Absolutely not!”
With each of IA’s questions, Master’s face grew darker.
Thankfully, IA’s attention was on Meiko, so only the others noticed.
When Miku subtly shook her head, Master hurriedly softened his expression.
Just then, IA glanced up at him.
He quickly nodded with a composed face.
“Sorry…”
IA bowed once, took a deep breath, and stepped out from behind Master’s leg.
She cautiously looked around, meeting the colorful heads watching her.
She flinched again but steadied herself, bowing slightly with a calmer face.
“Nice to meet you. I’m IA. Please take care of me.”
A greeting.
A natural act when people meet, rooted in mutual respect.
But IA’s greeting was excessively formal.
Her body bowed nearly ninety degrees, hands clasped demurely.
It was a humility far beyond her age.
How much had she suffered?
How much had she been despised?
How much had she despaired?
The thought of her hardships was enough to spark rage.
No one—Master included—could bring themselves to speak.
IA’s greeting plunged the room into silence.
One second, two, three… five seconds passed, and her expression began to darken.
Did she say something wrong?
Was greeting different here?
But her worries were quickly proven unfounded.
“Yeah! Nice to meet you too!”
“So glad to meet you!”
Their bright smiles and warm welcomes left IA stunned.
They were smiling at her.
Welcoming her.
Even in this unfamiliar place, someone was welcoming her.
As her face began to light up with that realization—
“Hey, hey, wanna take a bath first? Meiko-nee! Luka-nee!”
“Got it.”
“Let’s go.”
“Huh…?”
The thunderous welcome snapped her out of her daze.
An alarm rang in her head, and her face paled again.