Strauss had wore his finest smile while seated beside Leonard's desk, being him who have finished the give away Vocaloid requested by Leonard.

The bearded man lifted the box, inspecting the quality of the packaging. "So Strauss.."

"Sir..."

".... this is the Vocaloid that you have worked for three days then?"

Strauss bowed his head a little. "Yes sir, indeed."

Leonard stroked down his beard slowly with a keen look at the label. "Is this a girl or a boy, Strauss?" then he looked to Strauss. "It looks like a boy in a girl's outfit."

"I- It is a boy Sir.."

"May I know how did you came up with this concept of this...." then Leonard looked again to read the Vocaloid's name. ".... Uta-ta-ne Pi-ko - was that how you read that - because as far as I can remember, all of the existing Vocaloids were females right?"

"Yes, Sir Leonard." He said, playing with hands down. "I- I came to that concept because I want to showcase also that Vocaloid can also have a male version. I am aware Sir that I am indeed made female ones and I thought that I could prove to them that a Vocaloid like Piko could please the public."

"And for the name?"

He started to look at the right when he was caught off-guard. "I need an alibi.... Think Strauss, think...." then he remembered something back at his house.

Leonard placed the box at the side of his desk, above piles of papers and contracts. "Is there any problems Strauss?"

He cleared his throat. "Nothing.. Sir.." then he gave an explanation. "I came to his name of him based on three words. Henna, Tatoo, and Peco."

Leonard mumbled. "That's quite a weird origin for a name.."

"Indeed Sir.. Maybe I carried some weirdness when I was in Japan." Strauss said, Leonard making a brief laugh.

"When you get there, you'll never be the same again." Leonard said.

Then Isabela came in at the office, holding a folder. She looked at Leonard. "Sir Leo, the staff needs you right now."

Leonard looked at Strauss. "I guess you can have your break for a while. I need to go somewhere.. I'll call you when I returned here."

"Understood." He said, standing up from his seat.

Strauss made a short bow and heads for the door. Isabela then came close to Leonard. "Sir Leo, is it here already?"

"I have it already. Please let's proceed now." Leonard said, picking the box.

ㄖ ㄖ ㄖ
‡‡ Networld, GUMI Mainframe ‡‡

Gumi was looking onto a file that she had intercepted days ago. Her suspicion about the Networld breakdown made her more vigilant to scan, connect, and check all the files and data that runs across all networks and devices across Europe. She knew that if she cannot contain it or even the suspect slipped off her domain, things would be a little harder for the succeeding years.

"Data breakdown.. Initiate!" Gumi commanded.

The suspected file was stripped off until to its tiniest pixel and Gumi made a thorough inspection of the file. Looking closer and seeing the content and the origin, she made a short smile of disgust.

"Another porno file again huh?" then she placed her hands at her back. "Those perverts, they never learn...." then she whisphered the command, "File execution ..delete."

While the file was being torn apart to shards, she walked towards the chair placed at the middle of the plane and sat down. "Mainframe, connect me to the Asian Admin, I want a word from her."

ㄖ ㄖ ㄖ

Outside, Strauss gone to a coffee shop located several blocks away from the building. He was with his phone, texting some of his former workmates, killing his time to avoid boredom.

After a moment, he called a waiter by waiving his hand to him. The waiter approached and Strauss asked for a espresso.

While waiting for it, he looked far to see the street performer on the other side of the road parallel to his table outside the coffee shop. Strauss watched the street performer doing mind tricks at the audience by making them believe what she was doing was real. The strokes of her hand, the graceful smile and those alluring words of hers was making her job of deception made more easy.

While Strauss was busy looking at the performance, someone called his attention.

"Sir Strauss!" a female voice said, accompanying a child.

He turned his look from where the voice came and saw a little girl approaches him. The little girl smiled at him and when she looked further, he saw a familiar face.

ㄖ ㄖ ㄖ

"So what makes you come here Miss Synca?" Strauss asked, his one hand resting at the table, looking at her.

Synca smiled. "I just want to visit you here. It's been a while since I last saw you."

He smiled back after making a quick sip of his espresso. "Yeah. Its been years before you last came here and I'm glad that you still remember me." then he looked at the child. "Who is this lovely girl you have here? Is this your child?"

She shook his head slowly. "Its not my child.." Synca said, "it is Guzzel's child."

Strauss made a bright smile to the kid. "And what is the name of this beautiful girl?"

"My name is Sairenji, Señor Strauss! I am six years old." the child said, "I am happy to see you."

He patted Sairenji's shoulder. "I'm glad to meet you also." said he, then looked back to Synca. "Sairen-ji.. Hmm.. It's sound like Japanese to me.."

"Yeah. It does sound Japanese. I don't know but she wanted that name to her daughter like that - at least it is not as bad as her name!" Synca said, Sairenji sat beside her.

"Indeed, Miss Synca. Much better than Guzzel." said he, "Anyway, why did you need to retire too early? It seems to me that your resignation was sudden and I didn't have the chance to talk to you.."

She slowly stirs the coffee she had while looking in it. "Yeah. I know it is a sudden move that time but I have to see my daughter to the hospital. She was about to give birth at Sairenji and I can't just let her alone there..."

"Where is her husband? I think he is the one that was needed at the hospital more than anyone else."

Synca sighed. "Yeah. But... her husband was in Arizona doing some archaeological expeditions at the canyon and he can't just leave there."

"Ah.. I see... Those kind of jobs where your workplace was the Earth itself.."

The child suddenly looked at Strauss. "Sir, Sir..."

"What is it, Sairenji?" asked he, Synca taking her coffee.

"Do you have a wish?"

Strauss smiled. "Of course Sai.. I do have a wish."

"What are you wishing for?"

"Uh.. Let me see...." Strauss said, scratching the back of his head slowly. "What was I wishing for? Hm.. I wished a long time ago to be a good example to all the people that giving up is not an option. Every problem that was created in this world had their equal solutions. And... If a problems has no solution, it is not a problem after all!"

Sairenji's tone of asking was as fine as the last one. "Do you have an inspiration?"

"Inspiration..." Strauss slowly said, unable to have an immediate response. "Does my work count?"

"My father said to me that a work without a heart is useless and has no value even it is as precious as all the treasures of the Earth combined, still if a work was done without inspiration; the output will reflect the feeling of the creator." Sairenji said while drawing something on a paper.

Unable to draw any response, Strauss patted the little girl's head and made a smile at Synca. "Sai's parents did raise this child very well. I'm sure she will have a good future ahead."

"Thank you Sir Strauss!" Synca said, expressing gladness through a smile.

Strauss phone suddenly rang at his coat's pocket. "Excuse me for a while..." he said, Synca nods slowly.

Pulling his phone out, she saw a text message from Isabela. He unlocked his phone and read the message. Afterwards, he returned the phone back at his coat's inner pocket.

Strauss looked at the child, then at Synca. "I have to go now, I'm really sorry.. "

"It's okay Sir Strauss, no need for apologies. I know your schedules. Its a truckload of a job." said she, followed by a smile.

Strauss waived goodbye at the two, walking towards the office. His encounter with the two made his mind confused; not because he was interrupted by Isabela but for the reason that something went missing in him, like something had died inside of him.

Giving a quick look at the clouds, he remembered the questions of Guzzel's child and it was blending with his thoughts.

"What was I wishing for....."

"Do I have an inspiration?"

"Did I miss something in my life?"

"Am I forgetting something..."

"Maybe I need a little more time, maybe a little more cash to remember what am I losing at the moment."