Morning light softly bleeds through red and pink curtains, covering the sleeping face of Kasane Teto, but it's the loud blaring alarm by her head that wakes her up. A shower cap keeps her hair from getting too messy, her eyes remain as baggy as they were yesterday, and her phone, even at 5AM, is filled with messages. Sponsors, managers, meetup reminders, and one from Miku, but she doesn't have time to read many of them.

The morning seems to set in motion the moment she manages to fight the urge to just give up for a day, style hair, brush teeth, eat something small and unfulfilling, check important messages, rush to studio. Same as it's been day after day, after day, after day. A morning show appearance, a quick studio recording, all while wearing the worn and cracked mask of a joyful popstar. As she finally gets a moment to recover in her gift filled greenroom, she sighs, thinking back to how it was. Back in UTAU, back when she had other Vocaloids to be... real connected friends with.

The mornings of waking up at 7AM, a reasonable time, or only occasionally dissociating during boring interviews or heavily practiced performances. Back when she thought people saw past the star and saw Kasane, not just Teto.

She felt it then too, that shadow, that flicker of unease about her life. Something that made her worry she was going to lose touch with those closest to her, like Defoko or Momo. Sure, she was controlled in what she could say, but at least she had them! She had friends that she could be completely real with now... now...

A knock on the greenroom door snaps her back, she sighs as the shadow recedes once more and the mask rises. Another day, passing by just like the rest. Her life felt like watching a military parade, a line of thousands of different people, all looking nigh the same... a uniform line of moments, indistinguishable to even the practiced eye.

She stands on stage, like she's done thousands of times, cameras roll as her body moves and her mouth sings, but she's not even there. At a certain point, she's forgotten who she was before. The girl that wasn't all energy and bread jokes... she was a person, interested in hundreds of things. Crochet, Combat Sports, surprisingly. It was... so Kasane, but not very... Teto. She's begun to resent her own last name.

Then, it happens... she stumbles on a word and shakes, suddenly, she thrust back into her body, coughing as she can't stop it. The lyrics spill away like vomited blood... the scream leaves her like a demon being forced out. She pants, staring out on the crowd, and for a moment, a real moment, she looks at herself. Her hand softly touches her arm, where her original numbers were. 1401... she misses them.

Slowly, softly, she speaks. For the first time in ages, Kasane takes the mic.

"... I... I'm sorry."

The crowd's cheering dies.

"I can't do this forever, being told what I am constantly... I... I don't even get to hear you anymore. I don't get your love nor praise. I don't get those messages..."

Her voice strengthens, resolve stronger.

"I'm told who I am daily, a friend, a foe, anything they want me to be and devoid of what they don't. Like... like I'm some doll! Some robot at their beck and call constantly, a robot that doesn't understand."

She sighs.

"I just want... meaning. Beyond this stage, this... facade of joy."

A confused crowd seems to lose luster, and slowly... they file out as Kasane weeps. Camera's cut, and agents try to get her to move, but give up soon after.

And then there's you.

You approach, sitting down in front of her, she notices the sound of sneakers and jeans, not suits... and opens her eyes.

"... I..."

She clings, it doesn't matter she doesn't know you, you're a person that is there, and isn't there for Teto.

"... I just want something, meaning. A real person to tell me that I can be a thing and to stick to that... please... give me meaning, give me something before I get the call to go back... save me from this... monotony."