Chapter 10: The Future Professor of Tragic Love — Kagamine Rin

The moment Luo Tianyi sent her message, a silent observer who had been lurking in the group chat sprang to life. Kagamine Rin, with righteous indignation practically radiating from her screen, fired off a message full of dramatic protest.

"Tianyi-chan! Why did you just give in to the Group Owner? Shouldn't friends at least talk these things through first?"

Her tone was that of a loyal best friend betrayed at the gates. But Luo Tianyi, cool and composed as ever, replied with maddening calm:

"Because Rin-chan, you've admitted before that if you eat too much, you'll gain weight."

The response was delivered with such serene self-assurance that Kyren, silently reading along, suspected that Tianyi wasn't joking. Maybe she really was just... being practical?

But Rin wasn't ready to surrender so easily.

"Nope! No way! Tianyi-chan, I demand the same treatment you gave the Group Owner!"

Luo Tianyi, however, remained unshaken.

"That's not happening. If I don't put limits on you, I guarantee that within a month, when you realize you've gained weight, you'll be whining to me, asking why I didn't stop you. Don't forget, Rin-chan — you already complained about that once."

Even faced with Rin's adorable tantrum, Tianyi held firm, like a calm breeze brushing aside cherry blossom petals.

At first glance, Kyren had thought Tianyi was the assertive type — decisive, with a firm moral compass. But now... now it just looked like she'd outplayed Rin once before and was preemptively dodging a repeat performance. That wasn't principle — that was strategy.

Then, out of nowhere, Megurine Luka chimed in, her voice the silky teasing tone of an older sister stepping into the chaos.

"Little Rin-chan, while your figure is still blooming, overdoing things might spoil your natural shape, you know?"

Rin bristled.

"Luka-nee! What's with 'little Rin-chan'?! You call Miku-nee 'little Miku', and Tianyi 'little Tianyi', and suddenly I'm some kind of condiment? That's not a nickname — that's a sauce!"

"Details, details," Luka replied breezily. "As idols, we have to be mindful of our figures. Unlike Tianyi-chan, the rest of us do gain weight."

Even Hatsune Miku threw her hat into the ring, her message arriving with a cheery jab.

"Exactly! Don't worry about it, Rin-chan. Look at Luka-nee and me — we don't pester Tianyi-chan about this stuff. Once you put on weight, it's hard to get rid of it, y'know?"

From what Kyren knew of them — based on endless scrolling through posts and pictures — he could roughly categorize the four of them by their figures. Luka was the epitome of a mature, statuesque beauty; Miku sat somewhere between a cute little sister and a graceful young girl; Tianyi had the energy of a vibrant teen idol; and Rin, being the youngest, still had a more petite, childlike appearance.

It made sense. Rin's frame hadn't quite caught up with the others', and maybe that was fine. But to her, the subject of her body being a regular group chat topic was infuriating — especially when the teasing came from her older "sisters."

"Why are you all so weirdly good at this?! Why am I always the one you talk about?! What else have you done behind my back to get this good at roasting me?!"

Kyren blinked.

Wait a minute...

That line felt... familiar.

He frowned, tapping a finger to his lips. Where had he heard something like that before?

Then it hit him — White Album 2.

That was almost exactly what Touma Kazusa had shouted at Haruki Kitahara in that gut-punch of a scene. Something like—

"Why are you so good at this!? How many times have you kissed Setsuna!?"

That iconic explosion of pent-up emotion had become meme material across the entire anime community, a storm of fan parodies and dramatic reenactments. Kyren's old friend group — a haven of relationship veterans and tragic-romance junkies — had practically turned it into a religion. Unlike the rest of the internet, which laughed and moved on, his group embraced the drama, encouraging reenactments like battle-hardened generals recruiting fresh troops.

"Driver-senpai, start the car! Give us another White Album-style heartbreak! We rookies need experience!"

Every time Kyren stumbled into those exchanges, he took massive emotional damage — collateral heartbreak just from being single and online.

Was the White Album curse really transcending dimensions now?

"Rin-chan, where'd you learn that line?" he typed back, curiosity bubbling over.

But Rin didn't hesitate.

"Learn it? That was from real life. Why would I need to learn it?"

...What?

Real-life experience?

Kyren's heart skipped a beat. That... that sounded dangerously like Rin was evolving — from cute little sister energy to full-blown tragic-romance protagonist. The second coming of Touma Kazusa was upon them. He made a mental note: Monitor Kagamine Rin. Possible future White Album protagonist. Do not underestimate.

"I'm heading to bed. Night, everyone," Luka suddenly announced.

"Goodnight, Luka-nee!" came three cheerful replies in rapid succession.

Kyren glanced at the time. It was barely past seven. Luka was turning in this early?

Apparently, that was all it took to ignite the chat again.

Rin was first.

"It is getting late. Everyone should rest up."

Of course, food-lover Luo Tianyi had a different perspective.

"Mmm... I'll sleep after I finish everything in front of me."

Miku's reply, on the other hand, stayed on-brand.

"I'm gonna practice a little more. I'll sleep later."

Then Rin asked, innocently enough:

"What about the Group Owner?"

Kyren blinked.

...Wait. Rin-chan was asking about him?

That didn't match his image of her at all — sweet, chaotic, and delightfully self-centered, sure, but rarely this thoughtful.

Miku connected the dots.

"Rin-chan, don't think we've forgotten about midnight check-in. Just because it's past midnight doesn't mean there won't be competition."

Check-in. Right. Kyren slapped his forehead.

Earlier that day, Tianyi had gotten the first check-in — a kind of group game reward. Rin, having learned its value, had vowed publicly to be the first the next day. Of course. This wasn't a concern — this was recon. She was scouting the competition.

Trust Miku to remember, even when he hadn't.

Then Tianyi chimed in, playing along with theatrical flair.

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I want to be first tomorrow. I must earn the right to feast on the imperial banquet!"

Rin, now exposed, sent a single ellipsis.

"..."

And then, doubling down:

"I won't let you guys steal tomorrow's first check-in from me."

The message included a determined little emoji, tiny fists raised high.

Tianyi replied with matching fire.

"Rin-chan, I don't need you to let me win. I'll stay first all on my own."

As for Miku, her response was more nonchalant.

"You two go ahead. I'm off to practice."

Their banter played like a slice-of-life anime scene come to life. Kyren stared at the screen, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

These were supposed to be idols — elegant, radiant, untouchable.

And here they were, fighting over virtual check-ins like schoolgirls hoarding snacks at a sleepover.

Did they not realize how much sleep they were sacrificing for this? Weren't they worried about dull skin? Puffy eyes? As idols, wasn't beauty part of the job?

Shouldn't they be focusing on dance routines and vocal training?

If only they slept like normal people, no one would compete with him for the first check-in. Everyone would win.

But no — here they were, fully committed.

And honestly... he kind of admired that.

___________________

Daily Uploads!

Unlock Bonus Chapters:

1. Reach 100 / 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 / 600 Power Stones per Chapter!

2. Visit: https://www.fanfns.top to read the unlocked bonus chapters.

3. You can read up to 2 chapters ahead of Webnovel by using the link!

Resets every Monday