Reiji grabbed his backpack and followed closely. As they walked, he noticed the woman who had directed him earlier, still buried in paperwork, multitasking without pause.
They entered the elevator, and Yagoo pressed the button for floor 41. As the elevator descended, neither of them spoke. Reiji considered asking about what exactly went wrong with the previous engineer but decided against it. He wanted to hear the mixes first. Part of him dreaded what he might hear.
The elevator chimed, pulling him from his thoughts. Reiji followed Yagoo out and glanced around. Three rooms stood nearby, clearly labelled, 3D Live, Offline Collaboration Office, and Events Office. His eyes moved forward, landing on a door at the end of the hall. Above it was a simple sign, Recording Room.
Yagoo turned the handle and opened the door, allowing Reiji to enter first.
The moment he stepped inside, his eyes were drawn to the large mixer console dominating the room. He walked toward it and began counting the faders, forty-six in total, not including the headphone volume and master faders. He noted that each channel was carefully labelled. His gaze shifted to the equalizers, and his brow lifted slightly. He hadn't seen anyone set equalizers like this before.
The bass channel stood out immediately. The higher band had been pushed far more than he expected, with the area around 3 kHz especially boosted. Still, he held back his judgment. He preferred listening before forming conclusions.
He turned toward Yagoo, who was seated in a chair Reiji hadn't even noticed was there.
"I haven't seen someone look at the mixer that intently," Yagoo said with a small smile. "Most of the people we've hired would just fix the audio and send us the files."
"Where are the files?" Reiji asked, leaning back lightly against the mixer.
Yagoo stood and walked over to a cabinet, pulling out a USB drive. He handed it to Reiji before returning to his seat. Reiji placed the USB on top the mixer, opened his laptop bag, and took out his computer. He powered it on, waited a few seconds, and entered his password.
He set the laptop beside the USB and pulled his headphones from his backpack. After plugging them in, he connected the USB and began browsing through its contents. Yagoo watched quietly, noticing how Reiji's eyes stayed locked onto the screen.
Reiji opened the most recent folder. Inside were twenty-two music files. He clicked on the first one.
Almost immediately, distortion filled his ears. The keyboard and electric guitar were fighting for the same space aggressively. The bass was overwhelming, so heavy it felt more physical than musical. The drums were nearly buried, and when the vocals finally cut through, they sounded muddy, boxy, and dark.
He paused the track and moved to another file.
This one swung in the opposite direction. The drums dominated everything, while the other instruments were barely present. The vocals were sharp and piercing, harsh enough to make him wince.
He sighed and moved on to the next file.
Yagoo watched as Reiji's expression shifted, focused concentration slowly twisting into visible annoyance. Curious but occupied, Yagoo checked his phone, glanced at the time, and began replying to emails from the talents' managers. If Reiji was busy, he might as well make use of the moment.
Less than seven minutes passed before Reiji removed his headphones. Yagoo put his phone away and stood. Reiji looked up at him, his expression was just blank.
"Can I ask something?" Reiji said as he leaned against the mixer again.
"Yeah, go ahead," Yagoo replied, slipping his hands into his pockets.
"Have you listened to the mixes yet?" Reiji asked, already knowing the answer as he handed the headphones to Yagoo.
Yagoo accepted them and carefully put them on. Reiji clicked play on a random track. Within seconds, Yagoo's expression stiffened. He hadn't expected it to be this bad. He removed the headphones and leaned against the mixer beside Reiji.
"I'm sorry..." Yagoo said quietly. He couldn't find the words for anything else.
"Does this room have a shower?" Reiji asked as he began packing up his laptop.
Yagoo blinked, caught off guard by the question. "It does, but it's rarely used."
"Can you ask the singers if they're willing to redo the recordings?" Reiji zipped his laptop bag and set it on the chair.
When Yagoo didn't respond right away, Reiji looked over and saw the confusion and surprise on his face.
"If I stay up late, I should be able to finish everything in a week," Reiji explained calmly. "It won't be perfect, but it'll be good enough to satisfy the fans."
"Oh, and tell the animators to send me the finished animations," Reiji added as he reached into his backpack pocket for his keys. "I'll sync the soundtrack directly to them."
Yagoo could only smile at him. "Thank you so much." He bowed deeply, ninety degrees.
"Don't thank me," Reiji replied with a soft smile, the corners of his lips lifting just slightly. "This is what I love to do."
Yagoo wasted no time, immediately pulling out his phone and making calls. Seeing that things were already in motion, Reiji quietly left the room. He needed to head home and grab a change of clothes. As he walked, he wondered how he'd explain everything to his parents, but he already knew they'd support him.
He got into his car and turned the key. The engine hummed to life as he pulled out of the parking lot and began driving home. This time, the ride felt faster. Every traffic light turned green as he approached, and he took advantage of it, driving as quickly as the speed limit allowed.
When he arrived home, he shut off the engine and stepped inside. The sound of a movie drifted through the house. He took off his shoes and walked into the living room, where he saw his mother asleep against his father's chest. His father glanced up at him.
"Welcome back, Reiji. How did the meeting go?" his father asked, returning his attention to the TV.
"It went well..." Reiji paused. "Dad, I need to stay at their recording studio for a few days. They're a bit behind schedule." He didn't go into details,
"Just be safe," his father said gently. "And don't overwork yourself. I'll handle your mother, don't worry." Reiji nodded. His father understood.
Reiji left the living room and climbed the stairs. When he reached his room, he grabbed a computer bag and went to his desk, packing his second laptop. He then crouched down and opened a cabinet, pulling out a mouse and a rolled-up mouse pad. He placed them carefully into one of the bag's compartments.
He grabbed another bag from the corner of the room and walked to his closet. He sifted through the clothes hanging there, folding them neatly and placing them into the bag. It took him about twenty minutes to finish packing.
Afterward, Reiji stepped into the bathroom. He grabbed his toothbrush, toothpaste, and a new box of soap, placing them inside the bag before zipping it shut.
He exited his room and closed the door quietly. As he went downstairs, he heard his father snoring softly in the living room. He paused for a moment, originally intending to say something, but decided against it. Instead, he headed to the entrance, slipped his shoes back on, and left the house once more.
He got into his car, turned on the engine, and began driving.
When he arrived back at the Hololive office, he noticed three girls standing near the front desk, talking among themselves. One had pink hair and wore black clothing. Another had orange hair and was dressed in an orange outfit with a short skirt to match. The last had the longest hair of the three, and Reiji couldn't quite describe what she was wearing, only that it stood out.
As the sliding doors opened and he stepped inside, all three turned to stare at him.
The pink-haired girl walked toward him, her presence sharp enough to make him tense internally. Still, Reiji met her gaze calmly. She stopped when she was an arm's length away.
"Identify yourself," she said, her voice firm and authoritative, edged with aggression.
"Reiji," he replied calmly. "I'm the newly hired sound engineer for the convention."
"Right... the last one quit," she muttered under her breath before letting out a quiet sigh.
"I apologize for the aggression," she said, turning and walking back toward the other two.
As she moved away, Reiji noticed more people on the left side approaching them. A short woman wearing a blue hoodie, something moving faintly behind her. Beside her was a blonde girl. Behind them all was Yagoo.
Reiji glanced at him, silently demanding an explanation. Yagoo immediately understood.
He cleared his throat. "I see you've met the others."
"May I ask who they are?" Reiji said. "I assume they're the singers, but I don't know who's who."
Before Yagoo could respond, the blonde-haired girl spoke up.
"And just how do you plan to engineer our voices if you don't even know who we are?" she said, a smug expression forming on her face.
Reiji looked at her. For some reason, she gave off strong gremlin energy. He sighed internally but kept his expression neutral.
"I can adjust based on how your voices sound," he replied calmly, "Along with the theme of the music, and how you want the instruments to feel."
"Well, first of all, let's go ahead and introduce each other," Yagoo said, clasping his hands together.
"I am Amelia Watson. The greatest detective to walk this earth!"
She leaned forward, peering through a magnifying glass that Reiji had no idea where she pulled from.
The orange-haired woman cleared her throat and struck a practiced idol pose. "Kikkeriki!!! I am Takanashi Kiara! I am a phoenix!"
She winked at Reiji, who only stared back blankly, the look on his face bordering on confusion.
Kiara noticed immediately and pouted. "Hey! What's that look for?"
"Sorry... I thought you were roleplaying," Reiji said, glancing away sheepishly.
The air around the seven of them stiffened, an awkward silence settling in as if Reiji had said something he wasn't supposed to. They exchanged looks, unsure how to move on, until the shortest one, wearing a blue shark hoodie, stepped forward.
"Ahem! I am a descendant of the lost city of Atlantis, Gawr Gura!"
She planted her hands on her hips, standing proudly. "Be honoured, you are standing before an Atlantean!"
"Gura, that is ina'ff for you," the purple-haired woman said calmly. "I am Ninomae Ina'nis, Priestess of the Ancient Ones."
"Priestess?" Reiji echoed, puzzled. Their introductions carried a weight that made them feel real.
"Guess I'm last, huh?" the pink-haired woman said. "Mori Calliope. I'm the rapper of the group." She watched Reiji with a suspicious gaze; one he didn't notice.
"Finally, a normal introduction", Reiji thought with relief
Until Amelia grinned and shouted, "Hey! Don't forget to mention you're also a reaper!"
Reiji turned to Yagoo, curiosity finally getting the better of him. "Are they introducing themselves based on the lore they tell their fans?"
Yagoo paused, the girls waiting on his answer. "I probably should have explained this earlier... but their introductions are both their roles and their real identities."
Reiji let out a slow breath. "So, when I misunderstood Ms. Kiara earlier... that was insulting."
Yagoo nodded.
Reiji turned to Kiara and bowed slightly. "I apologize if I offended you."
"Oh, no worries!" Kiara laughed. "Most new hires either panic or think we're delusional."
"That's strange..." Ina murmured.
"Strange how?" Reiji asked.
"Normally, people freak out," Amelia explained, studying him. "Or it takes a demonstration, and a lot of explaining, before they believe us."
"There are plenty of things that can freak people out," Reiji replied calmly. "But at the end of the day, the truth is the truth. It doesn't matter whether you're regular people, mythical beings, or an idol group just starting out."
There was a moment of silence. The girls weren't used to hearing that kind of logic, while Yagoo continued to watch Reiji with growing admiration. He smiled softly, grateful that someone finally saw the idols as fellow people, not tools to be pushed around or forced into impossible demands.