🎶春日の響きと記憶の音 — 外伝 — 祝祭 — 3

🌸✨ In this alternate universe, Mio and みお are twin sisters, set in a unified world where the virtual singers of Crypton Future Media, Team TWINDRILL, INTERNET Co., Ltd., and the characters of Project SEKAI: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku coexist. 🌙🎶 💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 Rowing Through Splashes and Drumbeats After cutting through the bend, the river suddenly opened wide before them. The waterway ahead stretched out beneath the sunlight like a road paved with golden light. In the distance, the back of another dragon boat could be seen faintly, its paddles throwing up splashes that glittered in the sun, as if tempting them to keep chasing after it. The cheers from both banks grew closer and louder. “The gap is getting smaller!” Miku looked ahead, her teal twin tails flying high in the wind. Her voice cut clearly through the sound of water and drums. “Everyone, keep it steady! We really are catching up!” “Catching up?” Teto’s red twin drills swayed with her movement. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately tightened her grip on her paddle. “Then we definitely can’t lose! Everyone, speed up!” “Teto, don’t break the rhythm,” MEIKO reminded her at once. Her voice was not loud, but it was steady, like a guiding line between the drumbeats. “The closer we get, the more we can’t afford to rush.” Teto stuck out her tongue, but obediently brought her movements back into rhythm. “I know, I know. I just got a little too excited.” KAITO looked ahead at the water churned up by the dragon boat in front of them and slightly tightened his grip on his paddle. “There are waves ahead. The boat may rock. When you paddle, don’t let the timing scatter. Keep the same beat.” “Got it!” Miku called back immediately. “Everyone, listen to the drums. Together!” Boom, boom, boom— The drumbeats fell again. Their paddles cut neatly into the river, and the dragon boat surged forward, splitting the waves along its sides. This time, everyone’s movements were more synchronized than before, and stronger too. It was as if each of them already knew how to breathe, how to use their strength, and how to entrust their feelings to the same boat on the next beat. Rin lifted her eyes and saw the tail of the dragon boat ahead becoming clearer and clearer. She could not help laughing. “Len, I think we really are about to catch up!” Len tightened his grip on his paddle, his blond ahoge flicking in the wind. “Then don’t just laugh. Keep rowing!” “I am rowing!” The two of them were still talking back to each other, but their paddles fell almost perfectly in sync. Water splashed up beside them, the height of each spray nearly matching as though it had been quietly aligned. Mio stared ahead, her purple eye shining brightly. Her black cat ears flicked again and again in the wind, and the heart-shaped ahoge on her head bounced along with them. “So close! It’s really so close! Mio thinks we can overtake them if we just push a little harder!” みお smiled beside her, her white cat ears swaying gently in the river breeze. “It’s not the final sprint yet. If you use up all your strength now, later we’ll only be able to rely on meowing to go faster.” “Meowing has plenty of spirit too!” “But it may not make the boat faster.” Mio puffed out her cheeks, but still listened and steadied herself, once again matching everyone’s rhythm. Water splashed against the side of the boat, and tiny droplets clung to the ends of Luka’s hair. She could feel her breathing becoming a little faster than before, but she did not want to slow down. The dragon boat ahead was getting closer, and everyone’s voices were growing more heated, making her heartbeat quicken along with them. “Luka.” Gakupo’s voice remained clear amid the sound of water. She turned slightly and saw his purple hair lifted by the wind. The long locks in front of both ears fell to his waist, swaying softly with the rise and fall of the boat. His expression was calm, but he had been paying attention to her condition the whole time. “Adjust your breathing,” he said quietly. “Don’t use up all your strength at once.” Luka blinked, then smiled faintly. “I know.” She tightened her grip on her paddle again, her blue eyes fixed ahead. “But I want to catch up.” Gakupo looked at her, a gentle warmth appearing in his purple eyes. “Then I’ll go with you.” The next drumbeat fell. Their paddles entered the water almost at the same time. Splash— Water scattered from the side of the boat, and the dragon boat pushed forward once more. The distance to the boat ahead grew even shorter, close enough that they could see the red tassels fluttering at its stern. The cheers from both banks rose all at once. “They’re catching up!” “Keep going! Just a little more!” “Don’t stop!” Those voices pushed them forward like the wind. Miku took a deep breath and called out with a smile, “Everyone, one more steady stroke! Together!” “Row!” The paddles of all ten of them dropped at the same time. The river split open. Spray flew into the air. The dragon boat shot straight ahead like an arrow lit by the sun. In that moment, no one was thinking only of themselves anymore. Teto’s passion, Rin and Len’s competitive spirit, KAITO’s calmness, MEIKO’s steadiness, Mio and みお’s laughter, Miku’s encouragement, Luka’s determination, and the quiet tenderness of Gakupo staying by her side—all of it became the strength that pushed the dragon boat forward. The distance ahead was shrinking. The finish line had not arrived yet. But they already knew that as long as all ten of them kept rowing together, they would surely reach somewhere farther than before. ------ Traditional Chinese 划過浪花與鼓聲 龍舟切過彎道後，河面忽然變得開闊起來。 前方的水路在陽光下展開，像一條被金色光芒鋪成的道路。遠處另一艘龍舟的背影若隱若現，船槳翻起的水花在陽光裡閃爍，彷彿在引誘他們繼續追上去。 兩岸的歡呼聲越來越近。 「差距變小了！」Miku 望著前方，青綠色雙馬尾被風吹得高高揚起。她的聲音穿過水聲與鼓聲，清楚地傳到大家耳邊，「大家穩住，我們真的追上去了！」 「追上去？」Teto 的紅色雙鑽頭髮隨著動作晃動。她眼睛一亮，立刻更用力地握緊船槳，「那就不能輸了！大家，加速！」 「Teto，別亂節奏。」MEIKO 立刻提醒。她的聲音不大，卻很穩，像鼓點中間的一條線，「越是快追上，越不能急。」 Teto 吐了吐舌頭，卻還是乖乖把動作收回節奏裡。 「知道啦，我只是有點太興奮。」 KAITO 看著前方被另一艘龍舟攪動的水面，微微收緊手中的船槳。 「前面有浪，船身可能會晃。大家下槳時不要太散，保持同一拍。」 「收到！」Miku 立刻喊道，「大家聽鼓聲，一起來！」 咚、咚、咚—— 鼓點再次落下。 船槳整齊地切入河面，龍舟向前一衝，水浪從船側分開。這一次，大家的動作比剛才更整齊，也更有力量。彷彿每個人都已經知道下一拍該怎麼呼吸、怎麼用力、怎麼把心意交給同一艘船。 Rin 抬起眼，看見前方龍舟的尾端越來越清楚，忍不住笑了起來。 「Len，我們好像真的要追上了！」 Len 握緊船槳，金色大呆毛迎風一晃。 「那就不要只顧著笑，繼續划啊！」 「我當然有在划！」 兩人嘴上還是不服輸，船槳落下的時間卻幾乎完全一致。水花從他們身旁飛起，連高度都像被悄悄對齊了一樣。 Mio 盯著前方，紫色眼睛亮得驚人。黑色貓耳在風裡一抖一抖，頭頂的心型呆毛也跟著彈動。 「好近！真的好近！Mio 覺得再用力一下就可以超過去了！」 みお 在旁邊笑了笑，白色貓耳被河風吹得輕輕晃動。 「還沒到最後衝刺喔。現在把力氣全用完，等一下就只能靠喵喵叫加速了。」 「喵喵叫也很有氣勢啊！」 「但船不一定會變快。」 Mio 鼓起臉頰，卻還是聽話地把身體坐穩，重新配合大家的節奏。 水花不斷拍上船側，細小的水珠沾在 Luka 的髮梢。她感覺呼吸比剛才急了一點，卻不想慢下來。前方那艘龍舟越來越近，大家的聲音也越來越熱烈，讓她的心跳不自覺跟著加快。 「Luka。」 Gakupo 的聲音在水聲裡依然清楚。 她側過臉，看見他的紫色長髮被風吹起，臉兩側耳前的長髮垂落到腰際，隨著船身的起伏輕輕搖晃。他的表情沉穩，卻一直留意著她的狀態。 「調整呼吸。」他低聲說，「不用一次把力氣用完。」 Luka 眨了眨眼，隨後微微一笑。 「我知道。」她重新握緊船槳，藍色眼睛看向前方，「可是我想追上去。」 Gakupo 看著她，紫色眼睛裡浮現柔和的笑意。 「那我陪妳。」 下一拍鼓聲落下。 兩人的船槳幾乎同時入水。 嘩啦—— 水花從船側飛散，龍舟又向前推進了一段。前方那艘龍舟的距離變得更近，甚至能看見對方船尾揚起的紅色流蘇。 兩岸觀眾的歡呼聲一下子高了起來。 「追上來了！」 「加油！再一下！」 「不要停！」 那些聲音像風一樣推著他們前進。 Miku 深吸一口氣，笑著喊道：「大家，再穩一次！我們一起！」 「划！」 十個人的船槳同時落下。 河面被劃開，浪花飛散，龍舟像一支被陽光點亮的箭，朝著前方筆直衝去。 這一刻，沒有人再只想著自己。 Teto 的熱情、Rin 和 Len 的不服輸、KAITO 的冷靜、MEIKO 的穩定、Mio 和 みお 的笑鬧、Miku 的鼓勵、Luka 的堅持，以及 Gakupo 靜靜守在她身旁的溫柔，全都變成了推動龍舟前進的力量。 前方的距離正在縮短。 終點還沒有到。 但他們已經知道，只要十個人一起划下去，就一定能抵達比剛才更遠的地方。