A certain university.
"Well... the main purpose of today's class meeting is to tell you that the school has recently received targeted scholarship support. If anyone is interested in music clubs, you can talk to Ms. Katagiri."
The teacher stood on the podium, holding a large cardboard box, about the size of a book, upright and steady with his hand to make sure everyone could see it.
The cardboard box had a line of large English letters written on it.
[vocaloid]
The Sega logo printed on the upper corner is still clearly visible.
"Hey, Furukawa, that's Sega's logo, right?"
Matsumoto squinted, carefully examining the box, and nudged his deskmate Furukawa with his elbow.
The two teenagers, both heavy internet addicts, showed little interest in the so-called "music club," but were immediately drawn to the Sega logo.
" VOCALOID? What is that?"
Furukawa clearly noticed the box's unique features as well.
Judging from its packaging, it looks like some kind of computer software. Typical Nova packaging.
"Should we go take a look?"
"Hmm? I think we should pass. It doesn't sound like something we'd be interested in..."
While Sega's logo certainly drew extra attention from the two brothers.
However, as the teacher continued the introduction, their enthusiasm gradually cooled down.
This is an "electronic voice synthesis software".
Simply put, it's software for making songs.
"Teacher."
"Yes, Yaguchi- kun, is there a problem?"
Amidst the hushed whispers of the crowd, Nami Yaguchi suddenly raised her hand.
"I'd like to try out something like VOCALOID club."
More than the so-called targeted bonus support and the name Sega or Gamenova, Yaguchi cared about more was the potential hidden behind this software. She was a true music lover.
Her family even bought her a record player specifically to support this hobby.
A proper record player!
Instead of modern gadgets that play CDs or cassette tapes.
However, sometimes hobbies and talents don't align as ideally as one might hope.
Although in the eyes of outsiders, Nami Yaguchi has always been the perfect "other people's child".
She has excellent grades, a lovely appearance, and a well-behaved personality.
But for Yaguchi herself, she had always had a secret she couldn't tell.
I'm a bit... tone-deaf.
It's not that she's tone-deaf; in fact, her music theory and pitch are quite decent.
But the moment they open their mouths, their true colors are revealed.
While his singing wasn't quite as earth-shattering as Gian's, it was certainly dry and off-key. For a seeker of truth who was passionate about music, this was undoubtedly a huge blow.
And now, it seems I've stumbled upon an opportunity.
What if a computer spoke for you, while you only focused on composing the music?
"Oh? That's great. Go report to Katagiri -sensei later. There aren't many people now, so maybe you can become a club president or something."
The teacher waved casually, routinely reiterated the points made at the earlier meeting, and then hastily adjourned the meeting.
"That's all for now. The school has purchased a standard Vocaloid system for the clubs, so there's no need to worry about that. That's all, meeting adjourned."
[ VOCALOID Movement Room]
A handwritten wooden sign hangs in front of the small classroom that has been temporarily vacated.
As a club that primarily uses personal computers for activities, it doesn't need a large activity room like other music clubs.
The school only provided a space the size of a storage room.
But that's enough. Because not many people came.
Rather, aside from Katagiri -sensei, the club advisor, there were only three people present.
After all, it's not the beginning of the semester yet, and everyone has their own favorite clubs.
" Furukawa -kun, Matsumoto -kun? What a coincidence, you're here too?"
"Uh... yes, we're Sega fans, so..."
Furukawa scratched his head, looking slightly awkward.
"Alright, you three, it looks like no one else is coming."
Katagiri- sensei peeked out the door, glanced around to make sure no one else was coming, and then clapped her hands to signal the three to pay attention.
"They have no idea what they're missing, you three! This is a fantastic product! I mean, I tried it out today, and it's simply amazing..."
In the club activity room, there was a slightly old CRT television.
The computer tower is placed horizontally under the monitor, with a cable leading out to connect the mouse.
Judging from the shape of this mouse, it must have been salvaged from some unknown pile of antiques.
If Vocaloid didn't have minimum system requirements, this host would probably be in terrible condition.
"This is... the VOCALOID?"
Nami Yaguchi stared in disbelief at the broken computer in the room.
Considering her surroundings, in just a moment, her mental preparation completely collapsed.
This Reagan nothing like what I imagined a music club should be like!
This storage room doesn't even have a proper window; if the lights weren't on, it would be pitch black.
There are still a few metal racks for storing odds and ends against the wall, which haven't been tidied up yet.
What about the musical instruments? What about the atmosphere? What about the artistic feel?
What kind of place is this?!
Yaguchi suddenly had a feeling that he had been tricked. "Don't be so disappointed. Come on, I'll teach you how to use this software."
Katagiri- sensei pulled over a few tattered wooden stools, and then plopped down in front of the computer herself.
"Here you change the tempo, here you change the rhythm, and this thing that looks like a piano is where you write your songs."
As she spoke, she casually drew a few musical notes in the software and then pressed play.
The next moment, a clear and pure singing voice rang out in the quiet department room.
"Ah--ah--ah--ah--ah--"
Each note was higher than the last, a standard do-re-mi-fa-sou.
The sound, when it reached Yaguchi's ears, was utterly astonishing.
Although it has a certain mechanical feel and isn't as natural as a living person's, its pitch accuracy is simply terrifying.
Every note is perfectly placed; whichever square it's drawn on corresponds to that note.
But for Furukawa and his companion, it was a completely different experience.
The two guys exchanged a glance and exclaimed in unison, " Shiori Fujisaki?!"
That voice... it's all so familiar.
Isn't this Shiori Fujisaki, the leading lady of " Tokimeki Memorial " and the national goddess of otaku?
"Oh? You recognize this?"
Ms. Katagiri turned around and looked at the two of them in surprise. She picked up the soft packaging box on the table, looked it over, and then nodded to confirm.
"Yes, the standard version includes Shiori Fujisaki's voice. The official statement is that new voices will be released gradually, and the existing version will be updated and maintained."
"That's all for now. You three can work on the rest. I'm leaving."
After saying that, Katagiri -sensei tossed the things to them and left, leaving the three of them staring at each other in the clubroom.
For Yaguchi, although she was very knowledgeable about music, her deep-seated anxiety about being tone-deaf and her complete lack of computer skills left her feeling completely lost.
She was fine when the teacher was there, but now that no one is there to keep things in order, she's really worried that she'll give herself away.
As for Furukawa, he was in an even more precarious situation. He had absolutely no interest in music and had only come here because of Yaguchi.
Although he had some knowledge of computers, he had absolutely no idea how to write songs.
As for Matsumoto... he was originally just a fun-loving person and a wingman.
The three of them were now practically scheming.
Ultimately, it's Matsumoto will save the world.
His eyes darted around, and suddenly he slapped his thigh.
"I remember now, I have a Hermes laptop at home. My dad brought it back from his business trip to the United States. Would it be better to use that? I'll go home and get it now. You guys work on it first."
He jumped to his feet and ran quickly to the door.
"Speaking of which, Furukawa, didn't you study editing software? These look quite similar, so they should be pretty much the same to use, right?"
Without waiting for their reply, he vanished instantly.
" Furukawa -kun, do you know how to use this software?"
"Ah, yes, probably..." "Then... could you help me? I actually... have a piece of music I wrote myself, could you help me record it into the software?"
One week later.
Inside the school gymnasium.
"Well... today's school assembly is mainly to announce some good news."
"Our school's ' Crescent Moon Music Club ' and their single ' Tell Me Mr. Sky / With the Walking with the Wind ' achieved third place in the city's Vocaloid All-People Singer-Songwriter Competition held by Sega. They will have the opportunity to participate in the second round of the prefectural competition next."
"Rumor has it that Sega will also be using songs from the Crescent Moon Music Club in their upcoming arcade game. Let's congratulate them!"
"Splash splash splash--"
The applause was deafening; young girls and boys of this age just love to unleash their enthusiasm for things like this.
"Next, let's invite Minister Nami Yaguchi to give her remarks!"
Three young men from the School of VOCALOID stood in front of the principal, who was giving a passionate speech.
Even Nami Yaguchi, who was used to such scenes, was somewhat at a loss. She had never imagined that one day she would stand on the stage, basking in glory, not because of her outstanding achievements or daily performance, but because of music.
A small hobby that she had always kept hidden in her heart, sacrificing it for her studies.
"First of all... I'm very grateful for Katagiri -sensei's guidance, and I also want to thank the school for giving us this opportunity. Of course, I also want to thank Sega for creating Vocaloid; without this software and Sega's sponsorship, none of this would be possible."
"Of course, I'm most grateful to my colleague Furukawa for helping me with the programming, sound design, and post-production editing!"
"Oh, and there's Matsumoto -kun, who provides us with logistical support."