...

♪———— ♪————

It's Rin.

She's singing again.

(And she's been practicing her singing ever since...)

♪——...

♪———— ♪————

No, that didn't sound right...

I can sing that part a lot better...

♪———— ♪————

(She seems very focused right now, so she shouldn't notice me as long as I stay at least this far away.)

Oh, MEIKO.

There you are.

Luka...?

Were you looking for me?

Yes. I'm bored, so why don't we play cat's cradle or something together?

I'd rather not.

You never want to play.

Hm...?

♪———— ♪————

Were you watching Rin just now?

I just came across her singing a second ago.

Oh, I see.

Why are you grinning like that...?

Hehe. Good question.

So, MEIKO.

Would you be mad if I went over to talk to her?

*Sigh*

No, but...

You shouldn't right now.

Why's that?

Can't you tell...?

She's practicing, so you shouldn't interrupt her.

Oh? You're showing quite a lot of interest despite just spotting her a second ago.

*Sigh*

Can you not start pressing my buttons just because you're bored?

Hehe. I don't know what you're talking about.

Fine...

I'll tell you a little about what Rin told me.

So, she's practicing to become a better singer for the others?

Okay, now I see why I shouldn't interrupt her.

I hoped you would've figured that out without me saying anything.

Still, MEIKO, the stance you're taking intrigues me.

You always talk about keeping your distance in order to make objective decisions, but you also seem to care quite a lot about how the people around you feel.

Being objective means not letting my personal values and ideas influence my decisions. It doesn't mean purging myself of my humanity.

Hehe. True.

Anyway, MEIKO, thank you.

I'm a little less bored now.

And don't worry.

In return, I promise not to bother Rin.

Good...

Now, I think I'll go look for Miku or Len...

*Sigh*

Suit yourself...

…………

♪———— ♪————

(She seems to have figured out that part she was struggling with...)

(I think I'll keep watching for a bit longer.)