The room was still bathed in the soft blue glow coming from Miku's body.
The air felt calm, but not truly peaceful—
like the sky moments before dawn, when the darkness has not yet agreed to leave.
Yuuto sat at the edge of his bed, his face pale and his eyes still swollen from crying.
But this time, the way he looked at Miku was different.
There was something there—
curiosity, and just a little… hope.
Miku stood in front of him, her body radiating a faint light that pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat.
Her blue hair swayed gently whenever she moved.
"Come, Kido…" she said softly.
Her voice was like a high, crystalline note from a synthetic melody—clean, but warm.
"Take my hand."
Yuuto looked at the hand she held out.
It looked solid, yet glowed faintly—like a hologram reflecting the raindrops outside the window.
He wanted to reach it.
His heart pounded, his fingers twitched toward hers—
but something inside him resisted.
And in that instant—darkness.
The feeling returned.
Cold. Heavy. A blade pressing against his chest.
Memories he had never truly escaped surged forward without mercy.
Mei Aizawa… Asahi Honda…
Their faces appeared in his mind—smiles that had once been warm now nothing more than bitter ghosts.
He had never blamed them. Never.
They simply chose something—someone—brighter than him.
And that someone… was his own brother.
Yuuto's hand froze inches from the light.
His fingers trembled.
He lowered his head, and tears fell silently.
Miku watched him with soft blue eyes, her expression shifting from bright to worried.
The light around her dimmed, as if mourning with him.
"Kido…" she whispered.
"Why did you stop?"
Yuuto didn't answer.
Only a thin, exhausted breath escaped him—half fear, half surrender.
Miku looked at him for a moment—then reached for his hand herself.
Her fingers passed through the air like particles of light, but when they touched Yuuto's skin—
she felt real.
Warm.
"No need to hesitate, Kido," she said, her tone lifting like the beginning of a concert.
Her digital voice trembled softly—but there was sincerity in every vibration.
Yuuto looked at her, eyes shaking, voice caught in his throat.
"Wh… why are you—"
Before he could finish, Miku lifted one hand and snapped her fingers.
"Silent."
The sound was like a faint crystal chime—
and the world fell quiet.
Yuuto looked around in alarm.
The sound of rain outside was gone.
The curtains still moved in the wind—
but the storm had no voice.
Even the footsteps and chatter from the neighboring room…
were gone.
Everything was silent.
Truly silent.
Only their breathing remained, and the faint echo of Yuuto's heartbeat inside his chest.
He looked at Miku, confused, his voice barely a whisper.
"Wh… what happened…?"
Miku smiled gently.
"You're confused, aren't you?" she said softly.
Her voice—clear, mechanical, beautiful—filled the silence like a gentle melody.
"This is one of the abilities I received when I first logged into the Chat Group,"
she explained, glancing at her softly glowing palm.
"It's called Silent Field. With it, I can create a space of complete silence."
She turned slowly, taking in the now soundless room.
"I usually use it when I practice singing… or when I want to be alone.
I can sing as loud as I want and no one will hear it here.
But…"
She looked back at him.
"…Tonight, I'm using it only for you."
Yuuto still said nothing.
Words refused to leave him.
Miku stepped closer, her light softening further, like an aurora drifting in a quiet sky.
Then she knelt in front of him—just inches away—and held out her hand again.
The blue light on her palm reflected in Yuuto's eyes like a small living star.
Her touch was warm, even though she was made of code and sound.
"I'll sing a song for you, Kido," she said with a sincere smile.
Her Vocaloid voice shimmered like a high piano note that echoes in the heart.
It did not sound like simple words—
but like a promise.
"This song…"
she drew in a slow breath, though she did not need air,
"…is not for the world. Not for a stage. But only for you."
Her fingers wrapped gently around his.
The blue light spread softly across the room like ripples on still water.
The first note left her lips—
not entirely human, not entirely artificial—
something in between.
A sound that felt like light you could hear.
Yuuto slowly rose from the bed.
His legs trembled—but not from fear.
From warmth.
A warmth he had not felt in a very long time.
Miku stood before him, surrounded by gentle blue radiance.
Tiny particles of light swirled around her like silent musical notes waiting to be sung.
"Miku… what are you—"
She looked at him and smiled.
Her blue hair swayed, her eyes shimmering like starlight reflected on water.
"Just listen, Kido."
Her voice—soft, calm, and impossibly kind—filled the room.
She closed her eyes, and light flowed from her body.
The first chord rang out.
---
♪ Tell Your World — Hatsune Miku ♪
The song drifted through the soundless space, each lyric brushing against Yuuto's heart.
Miku's voice was clear—almost pure—
not just digital sound,
but emotion carried across wavelengths and light.
Each phrase was a small beam of warmth breaking through the fog in his mind.
Each note reminded him of something he had forgotten:
That he was still alive.
That the world had not fully abandoned him.
He looked at Miku—
a figure of light standing in the room that once felt like a cage, now filled with gentle hues of blue, purple, and white—
like an aurora dancing softly.
Outside, the rain began to fade.
The last droplets tapped quietly against the glass—
keeping time with the music.
As the final note faded, the curtain lifted with a soft breeze—
and sunlight broke through.
Clouds slowly parted, revealing a pale morning sky.
Warm light fell across Yuuto's face—
for the first time in a very long while.
Miku looked at him, smiling, gentle as dawn.
"So?" she asked.
"Isn't the world beautiful, Kido?"
Her voice still held that Vocaloid vibrato—
but now there was something more behind it.
Emotion.
Yuuto looked toward the light spilling into the room.
The rain had stopped.
The sky was clear.
For a moment, all the pain and all the memories drifted away.
He nodded softly.
"…Yes."
---
Sunlight fell over them both.
Not artificial light.
Not illusion.
But real, warm, morning light.
And for the first time,
Yuuto Kido smiled.