Characters/Mero

"Aste, a stalwart materialist, and Mero, the tomboy, are twin sisters of Taurus and operate the 'Pleiades'."

– In-game description

Mero is one of the characters in KALPA. She, along with her sister Aste, explains much of the story and gameplay to the player through various tutorials and help screens. She and her pack are unlocked by completing Aste's Guide Missions.

Name
Mero is named after Merope, the youngest of the mythological Pleiades.

Appearance
Mero has auburn hair and green eyes. Her hair was originally in two braids, but since version 1.5 it has been depicted in two loops instead. She also has a pair of small golden horns and bovine ears the same color as her hair.

She originally wore a black and white striped long-sleeved off-shoulder shirt beneath a pair of blue overalls. These overalls had two sets of pockets; the upper set was adorned with green clover buttons. The bottom half of the garment was torn in several places, and the cuffs were rolled up to mid-calf. Mero wore a pair of white socks and red sneakers, and held a golden hammer in her right hand. In one ear she wore a golden tag marked with the symbol of Taurus, which also appeared on her necklace.

As Dr. Mero, she wore the same shirt tucked into a pair of blue trousers; these were held up by a brown belt with a gold buckle marked with the symbol of Taurus. She also wore a white lab coat and red glasses, and held a test tube full of green liquid in one hand.

Mero's appearance changed significantly in version 1.5. She now wears an off-white blouse with long puffed sleeves and a notched collar, over top of a green shirt with a round neckline. Around her neck is a black choker from which hangs the Pleiades' symbol. She also wears a pair of suspenders — the left decorated with a pin depicting her, and falling off her shoulder — attached to a black and teal corset with gold decorations. On her lower half, she wears a pair of black shorts rolled up at the bottom, as well as a black apron with teal trim, a white stripe at the edge, and a teal pocket. A brown pack, from which a pair of test tubes are poking out, is belted around her waist. Two bandages are also visible on her left thigh. Mero wears a pair of white over-the-calf socks with teal stripes — with her right sock having slipped down her leg — and black Mary Janes with thick teal soles. In her right hand, she holds a beaker filled with orange liquid; its stopper resembles a bull's head.

As Dr. Mero, she replaces her blouse with an oversized off-white lab coat with green trim, and wears a lanyard to which a name tag is attached. Her waist pack is also not present. Instead of her Mary Janes, she wears a pair of black slippers shaped like bulls' heads with golden eyes; the soles are teal. In addition, she wears glasses with black frames and carries a clipboard marked with the words "Mero's LAB" and decorated with a sticker of herself.

Variants
Mero is prominently featured in two variant skins: Aste & Mero and Halloween Aste & Mero. However, both skins are considered variants of Aste and cannot be used with Mero herself.

Mero
Requirement: Unlock Mero

Transcript: “Well, this is interesting. Let’s try breaking it.”

I heard from my older sister Aste that all Cattles are born with a particular desire.

I tend to get mistaken for having a desire for destruction because I destroy whatever I see, but I am more interested in making things rather than breaking them.

I really, really like making new things after destroying something curious with my hammer and chemicals.

I realized my desire later than my other sisters. If it weren’t for Aste, it would have taken even longer.

To thank my sister, who couldn’t follow her desire because she was taking of me since little, I made the ship Pleiades.

The satisfaction of successfully making something for the first time, and the expression on my sister’s face as she received her gift. Those two reasons made me realize my desire to make things.

In this universe, there are always new objects that pique our interest. Aste wants to collect them and I want to turn them into something new, so we are the perfect duo.

I wonder what curiosity will be awaiting us today.

Mystical Music Box
Requirement: Accomplish Mero's 1st Reverse

Transcript: As Aste and I were traveling through space to find new marvels, the Pleiades detected a mysterious intruder.

Warning, Warning

Abnormal Energy Detected Inside the Ship. Intruder Detected.

At the place that the Pleiades led us, I saw two Fox Family members in strange clothes.

After speaking with my older sister, they disappeared and left a music box.

Aste lost interest in it soon and left it in storage despite its marvelous decorations and appearance because we couldn’t open it.

Not missing this chance, I brought it to my lab without alerting her.

But the box did not open, even through force, hammering, or chemicals. I decided to quit my research and thought it was like a pretty, useless rock.

That was when the box suddenly opened.

“?”

There was still no sound, but I could see black stones inside that were also shining a mysterious light at the same time.

I watched it for a while, in surprise, but resumed my research when I found that there seemed to be unstable but potentially great energy inside the stones.

While I was focusing on the research, staying in my lab, the black stones suddenly started to emit energy simultaneously and began to shake.

It grew stronger, like resonating energy waves. Was there something calling out to these stones, perhaps?

When we traced the signal and arrived at the right place, we ended up witnessing a gigantic being destroying the universe.

Kalpa’s Violin
Requirement: Accomplish Mero's 2nd Reverse

Transcript: During our tea time, I suddenly thought that it would be a good time to ask Kalpa what I had been curious about for some time. Aste was upstairs, washing the tea cups.

“Hey, Kalpa~”

“Yes, Mero?”

“That violin of yours. It turns into different forms, right?”

“Yes, it somehow shifts into whatever instrument that I want to play.”

“That’s amazing. Can I borrow it for just three days?”

“What?”

As I approached the violin with an evil face and a hammer and chemical bottles in my hands, the violin suddenly started shaking very hard.

“Huh? Kalpa, doesn’t it feel like it’s moving?”

“No way. Maybe you saw something different.”

“I swear that it moved.”

“That can’t be true. Also, I don’t think I can lend you this. Without this violin, I cannot Astral Play.”

“That’s a shame. Please let me do some research on it someday, though.”

“All right.”

“Huhu, you just wait. I’ll figure out what you are made of!”

I thought that the violin was starting to sweat, but had to end the conversation there because I heard Aste coming downstairs.

I don’t want her to scold me, after all.

Story (prior to 2.0)
Mero's pre-2.0 story entries were combined with Aste's. For Aste's entries, please see Aste § Story (prior to 2.0).

Mero
Requirement: 4 stars in Tree of Life

Transcript: Mero, the youngest of the seven Taurus sisters, is curious in everything, loves to crush anything with the hammer she has been holding since she was born.

She's so honest and confident that she often talks with no filtering and is a tomboy...

But sometimes, she gets embarrassed in front of some specific ones.

Often, she moves the Pleiades with her older sister, Aste, to travel around the universe together.

She was searching [BLOCKED] with Aste in the very beginning of the universe with curious eyes, and then got [BLOCKED] and became [BLOCKED].

Because she is [BLOCKED], she has all the [BLOCKED] from the very beginning of the universe, and although she [BLOCKED] the universe from [BLOCKED] , [BLOCKED] and now she is living with sister Aste, relying on each other.

Tea Powder
Requirement: 12 stars in Tree of Life

Transcript: Mero is curious and her curiosity never stops.

The universe is full of beings and objects that constantly stimulate her.

Today, as soon as she woke up, she continued to persuade her sister Aste to find the mystery of the universe.

Aste seemed to hate to go out, but reluctantly persuaded.

What kind of mystery is there in today's universe?

They traveled around the universe moving Pleiades, and today Mero paid attention to looking for a unique new tea powder.

While riding the warp, there seems to be something blue in the distance, so she asked her sister Aste, who is controlling the Pleiades, to find out what that blue thing is.

Something that was emitting a blue light looked closer and was simply reflecting the light elsewhere.

She tried to go to the place where it was reflected with anticipation, but her older sister said she is so tired and told her to go first.

'Is she going to the toilet...?' she thought, and she went back to Pleiades.

Soon they moved to the reflecting place, and there was a huge rock shining blue.

Immediately she took out the hammer and began to break it.

The rock, which turned into powder, went up to the tea experiment table in her room and began to react with other powders.

She recommended new tea powder to Kalpa and is soon satisfied as Kalpa liked it.

Main Menu

 * "(silently) My sister, Aste... She keeps nagging at me :'("
 * "Not as you think, hammering is a delicate work! Taste of tea changes a lot depends on how you carefully controls it!"
 * "Do you know Entropy? Entropy is~ the criteria of disorder in the universe! Do not tell anybody."
 * "Why tea pownder comes out when breaking the stones? T...That is... Wait for a minute! (Aste!!!)"
 * "Bring Merona (Icecream name) when coming? Are you calling me?"

Profile

 * "Give me that for a minute! I'll make you a new one."

After First Clear

 * "Congratulations for your first successful performance!"
 * "Our Universe became more vigorous due to your effort~"

After First Fail

 * "Ah, don’t mind! Anyone can fail!"
 * "If it was too difficult, it might be better to try lower Difficulty~"
 * "The exercises necessary to play the harder Difficulty lies beneath easier Charts!"

Legacy

 * "You know my carvings have a special gift in it? It is rare~"
 * "Would you like to have a cup of tea with me while we wait a little bit?"
 * "I really like regular cookies! The cookies Iris made... I still want to live .."

Skill
"Do you think the research funds come out of thin air? We have too many things to study and make, so save the costs!" — Flavor text

Mero's skill reduces the submission costs for songs in Mero's LAB. It does not affect the cost of Aste's Help.

Mero is primarily useful for newer players who have yet to acquire all Mero's LAB packs, and who may not have accumulated much Energy. Her skill has the greatest benefits when used on the GgonSae, O2JAM_1, and Phigros packs, as their submission costs are the highest.

It should be noted that Mero's skill cannot be used on the Daybreak pack due to Aste's Guide requiring the completion of its research before Mero can be unlocked. The player will additionally have to choose one other pack to research before unlocking Mero, and will also be unable to use her skill on that pack.

Achievements
See Aste § Achievements