“You see?” Reina whispered. “This isn’t a product. It’s a person. Chie put her own soul into the tuning. If I give it to her father, he’ll just cry and lock it in a drawer. Here, in the Collection, she sings forever. All one hundred of them sing forever.”
As Kaito left the hall, the black drive pulsed one last time. And for a fleeting second, the rain outside synced with the rhythm of Chie’s piano. The whole world, for one bar, became a Vocaloid.
Kaito accepted the job for the money. He stayed for the mystery.
She pressed play.
“You’re here for 047,” Reina said, not turning around. Her fingers hovered over a keyboard. “Listen first.”