Piano-Freak

“Iruma-san…” A pout was the first thing appearing on the sight, when Miu made that weird comment about her birthday. But this was just the inventor’s way of greeting people, huh. Still, her actions did speak way louder than her words. What nice presents she picked out for her… Kaede was really touched to even get the same goggles like Miu did wear on her head.

Kaede didn’t really expect her classmates to remember her birthday. They didn’t know each other for long before… they had to part again. And a date like her birthday, was the last worry anyone back then had for sure. The more surprised she was, when Maki congratulated her and even handed a present to her.

“Oh, alright. If you insist, Ms. Human.” While she’s willing to accept she’s a human for now, part of Susie wants to think it was a glitch in the program. There was something called the Turing test, wasn’t that right?

“Didn’t you hear me? It’s Susie!” she repeats, making sure she gets it the second time around. She shakes off the slip-up and asks her a question. “What kind of school did you happen to attend?”

“Haha... I’m sorry, that’s my bad. I must have missed it because no one has mistaken me for a robot before!” Ah, how embarrassing! “It’s nice to meet you though, Susie! It’s a cute name, mhm, it suits you!” 

Her question was justified though. Not every school you’d visit would have robot students after all... Not that it was a real school she met her classmate in either... Unfortunately. “Oh, hmm...” How to explain this with leaving all those gruesome details out? She couldn’t possibly tell that she and her classmates were all Ultimate Students, kidnapped to play a killing game, right? She’d had to sugarcoat it! 

Susie takes “Are you also a robot?” to mean the girl in front of her is not as human as she looks. She looks her over for mechanical parts, and finding none, she seems a little impressed.

“Heehee! No worries. My name is Susie. I actually specialize in robots like you.”

“Would you mind telling me who your maker is, please? I’ve never seen such a remarkable design…”

“Ah, no! No, no! I didn’t meant it like that!” Realizing it now, she really phrased it in a weird way, no wonder the other misunderstood. “I don’t have a maker! Besides... my parents, I guess! I’m a normal human being, nothing special!” 

Hopefully that would clear up the misunderstanding from before. But it was also time to explain herself. “I just used to have a classmate that was also a robot! He looked very human-like though, and also talked like one... I guess you’re similar to him! But uh, thank you for complimenting my ‘design’ still! You’re super cute yourself though!” She really did look adorable... 

The pianist was staring at that guy already for a while now. Well, it wasn’t like she had much else to do, since she was standing in a long line, waiting to be able to pay for her groceries. Maybe going out to do some shopping wasn’t the smartest thing to do, on a busy day like this. But also, a little small talk didn’t hurt anyone before, did it now?  And it would make the time pass by faster too!

“Ooh! You look so adorable! Are you also a robot?” She of course was reminded of her one classmate, that had the title “Ultimate Robot”. He is a robot, but still looked and behaved like a human. Even if he wasn’t out of flesh and blood, he was her friend... 

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude, but...” That was a weird approach. But that other tall boy, was the closest to approach for her right now. He also seemed to be around her age, so it should be fine to ask a little... weirder things, right?  Now it most likely was obvious that she was holding some kind of board in her hands, yes, it was the skateboard she got for being here for a while... She remembers how she could have chosen a bike instead, but since she had a fear of them, she of course did go for the board... but riding on it, wasn’t really anything she wanted to do either. She could fall off it easily and injure her hands after all! 

But she had some other use for it in mind, and that’s where she needed an opinion on. (Even though she was also ready to be made fun of...)

“Aww, I’d really like to prepare some Valentine’s chocolates for my friends here, but...” She was awful in the kitchen. Or more like, had no experience at all. Of course she could buy some, but it wouldn’t be the same as preparing them yourself, would it? “I wonder if I could ask someone to help me make some...” 

“Mhm! Every denizen of Mariland is a stuffed animal. ..Ah?” The look in Kaede’s eyes was one My Melody had seen many times before. Sometimes humans fawned over her or gave her compliments; sometimes both at the same time. It could be nice, but it could also be a bit awkward. Especially if they grabbed and snuggled her without even asking. But apparently she was cute enough to elicit a physical reaction from most humans, so that was…well, it was something alright! 

“Um– oh!” The poking didn’t hurt, but it was a little..annoying. “My Melo will let you pick her up, if you stop poking her.” The tiny bunny closed her eyes with a sweet smile, blocking Kaede’s hand with her own paw to prevent further poking. Even My Melody had her limits.

“Every denizen a stuffed animal...?” Her first instinct was asking Mymelody, if they somehow made it out of here, if she could take her with her to that place. But knowing that there most likely won’t be any escape, especially for someone like here, who came here after dying, she decided not to say anything in the end. Still, that place sounded amazing! If only she could have seen it with her own eyes. 

“Oh, um... I’m sorry. You’re just so cute, I couldn’t help myself...” Though she did say, that she was allowed to pick her up... right? The poking was maybe too much, but she couldn’t hold back and just had to lift her up. Once she did, she took a closer look at the cute looking stuffed animal. “You’re really soft! And you feel alive too, you’re warm, so it’s still not really the same, like when touching an usual plushie, I mean...” So adorable! 

    It was a shame Miu wasn’t the one behind this, in a way. She’d have loved to have been the person who was the genius beneath such an elaborate plan. That, and she would have been the only person capable of reversing it.

    Still, she’d take Kaede’s words as a compliment: “Whoever did this didn’t tell me shit! If I were the one involved, I could’ve made it better. I mean, the fuck is this ‘switching numerous times’ crap? Once and done, huh? Take that what you will!”

    As Kaede impersonated her, she couldn’t help and express disappointment in the girl’s face. The pianist clearly wasn’t the Ultimate Impersonator, that much was certain. It wasn’t like she expected it to be spot on, though. “That’s the best, you can do? Damn, Bakamatsu. I don’t speak like that at all.” Emphasis on the ‘all’ part.

    “W-Well.. You see, I’ve dealt with this before. As much as you might’ve been honored, you’re not the first person I swapped with. If you want me to reverse it, I need the proper tools and shit for it. Knowing how it happened would be better, but.. Shit. I can’t make any promises, piano fingers.”

“Proper tools? I have no idea what you’re thinking of trying out, but if you need any help, I’ll assist you of course in any way I can!” Sometimes Kaede tried so hard with ignoring Mius insults, that she almost overheard the important information in what she said too. But luckily she did listen enough to catch up on that! 

“Wait, didn’t you just say, that this isn’t your first swap? So, how did you get from your first one to this? Or did it just as randomly happen as my first one? Geez... This place really is even more confusing than the academy was...” And even back then, things were pretty confusing. But this city really beats any kind of logic in the pianists eyes.

“Maybe we should go to your place for now? I mean, trying to do something, is better than doing nothing, right? Even if we maybe won’t find a way to turn us back, it’s too early to give up before we even tried yet!”

Though, before Miu could even agree or disagree with her idea, there was some headache-like feeling. Suddenly she did see pictures that she wasn’t familiar with. Or at least not too familiar... She did recognize her old classmates, and the academy, but... those weren’t her memories. 

her hands ?  he looks down at them now, as if they had suddenly become a strange limb. what were so special about kaede’s hands that were needed in good shape ?  they certainly were lithe and soft, unlike his cold and calloused ones. perhaps, he thought, it was a feminine deed to maintain one’s hands and skin. however, she is quick to break the immersion with ridiculousness.

“ toilet —– touching !? i have no plans on doing so ! i— ” and he quickly stops himself from running his mouth any further on the topic. even the thoughts that followed were dispelled with a shake of his head. who did she think he was !? besides, they shouldn’t last any longer in this predicament once they pass that machine. this should be over soon enough.

“ hmm … ” he looks at her ( himself ) in a scrutinizing stare, in search for the preservation of his own body. it was a kin to letting a home into the hands of another and telling them what to tend to —– except, in a much more extreme and personal manner. ugh.  “ i don’t have frivolous practices nor much to care about. my body, as you can probably see, is not in great shape. all i ask is that you do not touch any part of it nor take off the mask. now let’s move onw—” 

a step forward was taken and kurowli nearly trips over his own feet like a clumsy fawn, unused to walking with shoes. in an effort to find balance and not land on kaede’s precious hands, the motion nearly flashes everyone in the area as he stumbles ungraciously. such a short skirt, “ w– why do you wear such small clothing !? ”

Kaede tried her best to catch Kurowli, when she thought he was about to fall down (in her body too!). But luckily he somehow managed not to hurt himself.

“Geez, you really have no idea how to talk to a girl, do you?” Small clothing?! Was he telling her she was fat? How rude! Though, maybe he was also referring to the skirt that belonged to her school uniform. Speaking of which, he wasn’t ever told how to move in one, without showing people your panties... was he now. There was so much to say and do, before she could entrust him with her body! She didn’t want to show off her underwear to everyone in Spirale after all!

“Listen, you have to move like a girl! So keep your legs together when sitting down, don’t spread them like men usually do, okay? Also... please be careful when walking up stairs...” She had to admit, it was sometimes not an easy task to be safe, but she really hoped the other would try his best to protect her privacy!

    After standing in line with Kaede and tying their ice skates up to ensure they wouldn’t fall off, they were faced with the big ice arena. Perhaps she felt some relief knowing that Kaede was just as inexperienced as she was, but it didn’t look overly difficult. Ice skating seemed to be a sport heavily reliant on balance. Maki had no interest in figure skating or trying any of those fancy tricks, but she could imagine herself at least being able to stand up once her feet became accustomed to the icy floor.

    As she was about to step on, Kaede proposed the idea of.. Holding hands? Maki pouted her lips at the inquiry, gaze moving between the freshly polished ice and the pianist. “Fine. I can’t promise I’ll catch you if you fall, though.” Holding someone’s hand would mean she’d have more stability, that much was certain. Honestly, Maki wasn’t against the idea.

    The assassin took Kaede by the hand and placed her skates onto the ice. It felt wobbly, but she put her focus into staying still. Slowly, she began moving across the rink. Their strides were small and they stayed by the ledge, but nonetheless, they were getting somewhere. “Are you okay?”

“Yes I’m okay! Thanks to you!” she hummed in a melodic voice, while skating forward together with Maki. “You know, this is actually really kind of fun!” It better be, it was her idea. So it would be kind of embarrassing if she herself wouldn’t enjoy it, wouldn’t it. 

Even though Kaede promised her friend before, that she would let go of her hand once she felt a little more confident, she somehow figured that there was more of a connection between them, as long as she would keep holding her hand. 

“What about you though, are you having fun, Harukawa-san?” Maki was as calm as ever, so asking if he was okay, didn’t seem necessary in this moment. Something about Maki gave off a strong aura to the pianist. She always moved in an elegant way, no matter what she did. That’s why Kaede could imagine very well that she would be good in any kind of sportive activity. 

“Thank you miss Kaede!” My Melody place a paw on her chest, still smiling. She never got the chance to explain her origins, mostly because no one ever asked; at least in Spirale.

“Well, you see…My Melo is from Mariland. It’s a magical dimension created from the dreams of humans! Everyone who lives in Mariland is a stuffed animal, like me! ..Ah…and…most humans aren’t used to seeing walking, talking stuffed animals, so when I first visited the Earth I had to keep my identity a secret! But then…then…some things happened, and then…more people got used to me being myself!” Mariland being comprised of human dreams meant that protecting those dreams was the utmost important task for My Melody. Though at the moment she couldn’t do much, not while she was trapped here, and not without her Melody Takt. That was a bit worrisome. She could only hope that the King and Queen were handling Kuromi just fine without her.

“Mariland?” Dreams of humans? That all sounded like some idea for a kid’s cartoon. It really just made her imagine some cotton candy clouds and all that stuff. It was very cute... but also hard to believe that any of it could be real. But this wasn’t the first time that Spirale made the impossible possible after all. 

“Everyone is a stuffed animal there, really?” Her eyes started to sparkle a little. She was very fond of cute things like plushies, she even used to own a few in her old room back home. One looking even a little like My Melody in front of her. And the urges to just pick her up and squeeze her tightly got bigger and bigger. But that would be weird, right? She talked to her like a human would... The proper way to act in this situation was a little hard to figure out. 

“I see, I see... So you’re some magical creature? Or better said... a magical stuffed animal?” It seemed like the blondes curiosity was bigger than her manners at this moment, so she leaned down to the little bunny, and started to poke her.