Warmth at Fingertips - Vocaloid 神威がくぽ × 巡音ルカ

💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 The sea breeze brushed softly across the beach, and the moonlight stretched along the horizon as though someone had laid a silver-white ribbon over the deep blue ocean. Kamui Gakupo and Megurine Luka walked side by side along the shore. It was already late. The beach that had been lively during the day was gradually growing quiet, and the city lights in the distance had become blurred points of light. All that remained to hear was the sound of the tide washing onto the shore again and again. The waves gently spilled over the fine sand, then slowly withdrew around their feet, leaving behind a damp, smooth trace. Luka tilted her face up slightly, gazing at the moon in the night sky. "The moon is beautiful tonight." Her voice was soft, almost melting into the sea breeze. Gakupo turned his head to look at her. "Mm, it really is beautiful." Luka had still been admiring the sky. Hearing his reply, she turned around and met his gaze, fixed on her. She blinked. "Gakupo, I was talking about the moon, you know." "I know." He answered quite naturally, though a faint smile, hard to notice, played at the corner of his lips. "So?" "So I'm enjoying the most worthwhile view tonight." Luka was stunned for a moment. A few seconds later, she finally understood what he meant and couldn't help laughing. "Have you been secretly practicing something lately?" "Practicing?" "Saying things like this that leave me not knowing how to respond." Gakupo gave a low chuckle. He didn't rush to explain, only slowed his steps to match her pace. "If you don't like it, I can put it another way." "Such as?" "The moon is lovely tonight, the sea breeze is pleasant, and I'm glad to be walking here with you." He paused briefly. "How about that?" Luka looked at him, and all the teasing words she had meant to say suddenly slipped her mind. She had known Gakupo for a while now. In her impression, he was always calm and dependable, rarely flustered when facing things, and not one to say his feelings outright. He remembered small things she had mentioned offhandedly, quietly kept her company when she was tired, and watched out for the little details she hadn't noticed. Yet whenever he sincerely said such gentle things, her heart still beat faster. "...That's definitely more of a foul." Luka said softly. "A foul?" "Because I won't know what to do!" Gakupo looked down at her, a hint of amusement surfacing in his eyes. "Then you can take your time thinking." "What if I take a really long time?" "I can think along with you." His answer came without a trace of hesitation. Luka's smile gradually softened. She said nothing more, only turned her gaze back to the sea, the corners of her mouth still holding a faint curve. The two continued along the shore. The water shimmered with fine flecks of silver under the moonlight, and now and then the cry of a seabird came from afar. Luka took off her shoes and carried them in her hand, letting her feet sink into the cool, fine sand. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Gakupo. "Want to try it?" "Try what?" "Walking barefoot! The sand feels nice, and the water isn't as cold as you'd think." Gakupo glanced at the shoes in her hand, then at her expectant face. "Since you recommend it so highly, I certainly have to try." He took off his shoes too, held them in his hand, and walked over to her side. The moment he stepped onto the sand, he felt its soft texture. Just then the water washed up, and the cool spray of the waves swept over the tops of his feet before quietly retreating. Luka smiled at him. "How is it?" "It really is comfortable." "See, I told you!" Her tone carried a touch of pride, and she went on walking in the direction the water was receding. Gakupo followed beside her, occasionally reminding her to watch for small stones hidden in the sand. When she lost her balance slightly after stepping onto a softer patch of sand, he naturally reached out and gently steadied her arm. "Careful." "I'm fine." Once Luka had regained her footing, she didn't pull away right away. Gakupo's hand still rested lightly on her, and she didn't avoid his touch. The two fell silent at the same moment. The sound of the waves seemed especially clear just then. Luka looked down at the distance between them, then suddenly reached out and gently took Gakupo's hand. His fingertips paused slightly. She didn't look up, only, as if confirming something, slowly slid her fingers into the spaces between his. "It's easier to walk like this." She said it with a perfectly straight face, though the tips of her ears were tinged with a faint red. Gakupo looked at their joined hands and didn't expose her excuse. "Mm, that's true." He gently closed his fingers and held her firmly. The warmth came through his palm, and Luka unconsciously curved her lips into a smile. She liked this Gakupo. He never rushed her to say what was in her heart, and he never deliberately embarrassed her just because he noticed her shyness. He always gave her enough time to approach him at her own pace. And this gentleness often stirred her heart more than any deliberate sweet talk. "Gakupo." "Mm?" "Do you like the seaside?" "I do." "Because you can see the moon?" "That's one of the reasons." "And what else?" He thought for a moment. "The seaside is quiet. Even if you do nothing at all, it doesn't feel like wasted time." Gakupo looked at her. "Especially when I come with someone important to me." Luka's steps slowed. She remembered those busy days of the past. They had always had their own matters to deal with, and sometimes just exchanging a few messages, or occasionally finding time to meet, had been enough to feel quite content. Tonight, however, they hadn't planned any special itinerary. There was nothing they had to finish, and no appointment they had to rush to. They were simply holding hands, strolling in the moonlight. Such an ordinary thing, yet it gave her a sense of peace she had never felt before. "I like it too." Luka gently swung their joined hands. "And I think if it's with you, no matter how long we walk, it would never be boring." Gakupo's gaze softened. "Then next time, we can come again." "Next time?" "Mm. Whenever you want to come, I'll accompany you." Luka lifted her face and looked at him closely. "Wouldn't you find it troublesome?" "Why would I?" "Because I might suddenly want to watch the sunrise, suddenly want to go to a different beach, or just want to go out for a walk at night." "That sounds reasonable." "And I might want to eat something halfway through." "Then we can first find a shop that's still open." "What if there isn't one?" "I'll find a way to prepare something." Luka finally couldn't hold back her laughter. "You really take on everything, don't you?" "If it's for accompanying you, I don't mind spending a little extra time." His tone was calm, yet it made her laughter slowly fade. Moonlight fell on Gakupo's profile, illuminating his earnest expression. In those violet eyes there was no mockery, nor any intention of deliberately creating romance, only candid tenderness. Luka suddenly felt that perhaps she no longer needed to search for a better answer. She moved a little closer to him and gently pressed her shoulder against his arm. Gakupo noticed her movement and adjusted his posture slightly so she could lean against him more comfortably. And so they continued walking. Later, Luka spotted a flat rock ahead and pulled Gakupo along to it. After making sure there were no slippery spots around, the two sat down side by side. From here, the sea looked even more vast. The moon hung high in the night sky, its silver light rising and falling with the waves, as though the whole ocean were breathing quietly. Luka set her shoes aside, braced her hands on the rock behind her, and tilted her head back to gaze at the sky. "If time could stop here, that wouldn't be so bad." Gakupo turned to look at her. "You want time to stop?" "Not forever." She smiled. "I just want to make tonight a little longer. I don't want to go back so soon." Gakupo was silent for a moment, then reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair, tousled by the sea breeze, behind her ear. "Then let's stay a little longer." Luka looked at him. "Really? Is that okay?" "Of course." "Even though it's so late?" "Tomorrow's matters can be dealt with tomorrow." This made Luka laugh. She rarely heard Gakupo say things like this. Ordinarily he always had everything arranged, handling matters in an orderly way, as if every task could find the right time and method. Yet at this moment, for her sake, he was willing to set those plans aside for a while. A soft warmth welled up in her heart. Luka slowly shifted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Gakupo said nothing, only held his shoulder steadier. After a while, she spoke softly. "Gakupo." "I'm here." "I really like tonight." "So do I." "And not just because of the moon." He lowered his head and looked at her nestled beside him. Luka didn't continue right away. Her hand was still held in his, her thumb unconsciously brushing lightly over his knuckles. After quite a while, she sat up a little straighter, as if she had finally gathered her courage. "What I mean is... whenever I'm with you, I'm always happy." Her voice was soft, but she did not shrink back. "Sometimes just getting a message from you makes me laugh without meaning to. When something happens, I want to tell you first. When I see a beautiful view, I even think, I wish you were here too." She paused, and a trace of embarrassment surfaced in her eyes. "So, being able to walk with you tonight makes me truly happy." Gakupo listened quietly. He didn't answer right away, but held her hand a little tighter. "Luka, me too." He looked at her, his tone gentle and earnest. "I want to know how your day has been, I remember what you like, and when I see certain views, I think how nice it would be if you were by my side." A faint smile appeared at his lips. "So I'm very glad you invited me out tonight." Luka's eyes widened slightly. "How did you know I was planning to invite you?" "Because when you messaged me this afternoon, you asked about tonight's weather several times." "...You actually noticed!" "And you specifically asked whether I was free." Gakupo's smile deepened. "I guessed you wanted to come see the moon." "You knew all along and pretended not to!" Luka lightly patted his arm, though she wasn't truly angry. Gakupo laughed and caught her hand, lacing his fingers with hers again. "Because I wanted to wait for you to tell me yourself." She looked at him, and the last bit of shyness in her heart gradually melted into tenderness. Then she leaned in and placed a light kiss on his cheek. Gakupo clearly hadn't expected her to do this so suddenly. When Luka pulled back, he was still looking at her with a slightly dazed expression, while she had already turned her flushed face toward the sea, trying hard to pretend she had only done something perfectly ordinary. "That... that's a thank-you for tonight." She added in a small voice. "Thank you for walking with me." Gakupo looked at her reddened ear tips, his eyes full of tenderness he couldn't hide. "If that's the thank-you, then I think I'll have plenty more chances to accompany you out." Luka turned and shot him a glare. "Don't push your luck." "I'm just reasonably looking forward to it." "Gakupo!" She finally threw herself into his arms, laughing. He wrapped his arms around her in turn, letting her rest securely against his chest. Luka buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, listening to that steady heartbeat, and couldn't help laughing along. Gakupo lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her hair. There were no more deliberate words, and no rush to break the stillness. They simply held each other, listening to the waves surge onto the shore again and again. After a while longer, Luka lifted her head from his embrace. "Shall we walk a little further?" "Okay." Gakupo picked up both pairs of shoes and, holding her hand, rose to his feet. They stepped back onto the soft beach and slowly made their way along the moonlit shore. Now and then the waves rushed close, and they stepped back together; now and then Luka spotted a pretty shell and stopped to examine it, and Gakupo always waited patiently beside her. The night deepened, and the sea breeze remained gentle. They didn't know how much longer the coastline stretched, nor did they particularly care how long they had been walking. Because for the two of them in this moment, what mattered most had never been reaching some destination. It was having, always beside them, the person they wanted to accompany, and who hoped to accompany them for a long time to come. The moonlight fell quietly upon them. Two sets of footprints, side by side, stretched into the distance, gradually being gently erased by the tide as the waves came again and again. Yet their tightly clasped hands never parted. And this night became a memory in their hearts that they would not easily forget. Because some romance doesn't need a grand confession. As long as the moon is still there, the waves are still there, and you happen to be right beside me, then even an ordinary walk is enough to make one look forward to the next night.