Road of Maple Leaves - Vocaloid 神威がくぽx巡音ルカ

💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 The two of them continued down the road covered in maple leaves. The fallen leaves were gently brushed aside by the tips of their shoes, and every so often a few would be swept up by the wind, spinning around the two of them. The road was much quieter than before — only the distant sound of passing cars, and the faint rustle of leaves brushing against each other. Luka was still holding the book she had just bought, a maple leaf tucked between its pages, the one Gakupo had caught for her. She walked a few steps, then suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke up. "Gakupo, that book you were looking at in the bookstore earlier — did you end up buying it?" "No." "Why not?" "Still thinking about it." "So you also have things you think about for ages and still don't buy?" "Of course I do." Gakupo turned to look at her. "Do you buy everything the moment you see something you like?" Luka glanced down at the paper bag in her hand. Inside were the book, a charm, and a few small trinkets she'd found interesting while shopping earlier. "...Not always." "Who was it, just now, standing in the accessory shop holding three different colored charms, agonizing for ten minutes?" "That's because they were all so cute." "And in the end you bought two." "You picked the other one for me." "So now you're blaming me?" "No, I'm not." Luka laughed and shook her head. "I just think you have a lot of your own ideas when you pick things out." "Is that a bad thing?" "It's a good thing." She answered quickly. "Because you don't just look at the surface — you actually think for a long time about whether something really suits you." Gakupo fell silent for a moment after hearing that. "You observe carefully." "We've known each other for so long." Luka said, looking up at the road ahead. "Still, sometimes I feel like you're really different from how you are on stage." "Different how?" "On stage, you're always so confident, so good at reading the mood. But off stage..." She paused deliberately. Gakupo raised an eyebrow. "Off stage, what?" "Off stage, you'll stand in front of a shelf for ages just deciding which tea to buy." "That's an important choice." "And you'll seriously consider trying a new flavor just because the clerk recommended it." "Didn't you try it too?" "Because you bought two cups." "So did you end up liking it?" Luka thought about it. "It wasn't bad." "Just 'not bad'?" "Mm... if I had it again sometime, I might like it more." Gakupo looked at her, seeming to understand what she meant. "Then we'll buy it again next time." Luka blinked, slightly caught off guard. "You remember?" "Remember what?" "That I said I wanted to have it again." "There's no reason to forget something like that." His tone was completely ordinary, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Without realizing it, Luka held the book in her arms a little tighter. She didn't answer right away, just walked beside him, a smile slowly rising at the corners of her mouth. After a while, she spoke again. "If we weren't idols, what do you think we'd be doing right now?" Gakupo thought for a moment. "That's a sudden question." "Because we just walked past the shopping street, and I suddenly wanted to know." She turned her head to look at him. "If there were no work, no stage, no schedule — would we still be out walking together like this?" Gakupo didn't answer right away. He looked at the road ahead, his pace still matching hers. "Probably." "So sure?" "You like going out shopping. I know that." "What about you?" "Me?" "Would you ask me out yourself?" Gakupo gave a small laugh. "If you were willing, I probably would." "Just 'probably'?" "That depends on whether you have time." Luka couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you suddenly being so polite?" "I'm just respecting your schedule." "But if we weren't idols, there wouldn't be a schedule." "Then that would be even better." Gakupo finished speaking and pointed toward a bench beside the road. "Want to rest for a bit?" Luka followed his gaze. There was a maple tree beside the bench, a few leaves scattered on its backrest. She nodded, but didn't walk over right away — instead she kept walking slowly down the road. "Let's walk a bit more first." "Okay." The two continued walking side by side. Luka suddenly looked down at the tips of her shoes. "Actually, I used to think an idol's life would be really lively." "And now?" "Now I think there's plenty of liveliness, but very little real quiet time." She looked up, her gaze settling on the overlapping branches ahead. "Sometimes even when I'm exhausted, I still find myself thinking about the next job. Even after I get home, I can't help checking tomorrow's schedule." "Have you been staying up late again recently?" "...A little." "How much is 'a little'?" "Maybe... about an hour later than usual?" Gakupo glanced at her. Luka quickly added, "Just occasionally." "How many days is 'occasionally'?" "Gakupo." "Hm?" "Isn't today your day off?" She reminded him in a teasing tone. "Don't suddenly turn into my schedule manager." "I'm just concerned about you." "I know." Luka's voice softened. "That's exactly why it makes me feel at ease." Gakupo didn't press further. He simply adjusted his pace, which had fallen slightly behind, to walk alongside her again. The distance between them was neither too close nor too far — just enough to hear each other clearly. Luka suddenly reached out and pointed at a particularly beautifully shaped maple leaf ahead. "Look at that one." "Which one?" "On the left, near the trunk." Gakupo looked up. "The red one?" "Yes." "It looks perfectly intact." "It would be nice if it fell." "You want it?" "Mm." Gakupo looked at the leaf, then looked at her. "Then let's wait for it to fall." Luka's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" "Why not?" "But who knows when it'll fall?" "Then we'll wait slowly." She couldn't help but laugh. "You're really patient today." "Am I not usually?" "You are." Luka thought about it, then added, "It's just that you're usually busy, so I don't get the chance to see it." Gakupo didn't argue. He looked up at the leaf, and Luka stood beside him, quietly keeping him company as they watched it together. After a while, the wind swept through the treetops. The leaf swayed gently but didn't fall. Luka couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Does it know we're waiting for it?" "Maybe." "Then shouldn't we tell it, 'please feel free to fall'?" Gakupo turned to look at her. "Are you going to say it?" Luka deliberately cleared her throat and looked up at the leaf, saying softly: "Mr. Maple Leaf, when would you be willing to come down?" Gakupo watched her serious expression and finally couldn't help laughing. "Are you talking to a maple leaf?" "It has its own thoughts too, you know." "Then ask it why it didn't fall just now." "Maybe it still wants to stay on the tree." "Then don't force it." Luka looked at the leaf and nodded gently. "True." She turned her gaze back to Gakupo. "What about you?" "What?" "If there's something you really like, but you're not ready yet — would you also choose to stay where you are for now?" Gakupo didn't answer right away. He looked at her, seeming to think about what she was really asking. Luka didn't rush him, just waited quietly. Finally, he said softly: "I would." "Even if you wanted it very much?" "Even if I wanted it very much." "And if someone was willing to wait for you?" Gakupo's gaze settled on her face. "Then I'd need to think it through even more carefully." Luka smiled faintly. "You're always like this." "Like what?" "You think everything through so carefully." "Is that bad?" "It's not bad." She looked down and kicked away a fallen leaf by her foot. "It's just that sometimes, I feel like you think for too long." Hearing this, Gakupo's brow twitched slightly. "Are you talking about me?" "I never said any names." "But there's no one else on this road but us." "That doesn't prove I meant you." She finished speaking and walked ahead a few quick steps. Gakupo watched her back, laughed helplessly, and followed. "Luka." "Hm?" "That thing you mentioned earlier—" "Which thing?" "Something you really like, but aren't ready for yet." Luka slowly stopped walking. Gakupo stopped beside her. "Were you talking about yourself?" She didn't answer right away. Her fingers gently traced the cover of the book, as if thinking about how to put it into words. "Maybe." She finally answered softly. "Sometimes, I don't even know if I'm ready or not." Gakupo looked at her. "Then there's no need to rush." "But what if I never decide?" "That's fine too." His voice was steady and gentle. "As long as you know why you're not ready yet, that's enough." Luka looked up at him. "You're really good at comforting people." "I'm just saying what I think." "But it sounds really helpful." "Good, then." She smiled. "Thank you, Gakupo." "No need to thank me." The two walked on again. This time, Luka didn't continue that topic. She started talking about the illustrations she'd seen in the bookstore, about a cat lying by the window in the shop, and about a dessert she wanted to try next time. Gakupo listened to it all, occasionally asking questions, occasionally teasing her on purpose. When Luka mentioned that the cat seemed to really like one of the shop clerks, he suddenly asked: "Are you easily drawn to cute things too?" "Mm, I guess so." "So that's why you bought so many things earlier?" "That's different." "How is it different?" "Because those things were genuinely cute." "I see." Gakupo nodded. "So if you see something even cuter next time, would you still buy it?" Luka turned to look at him. "Are you hinting that I shouldn't spend money carelessly?" "No." "Really?" "Really." "Then why did you ask?" Gakupo lowered his head slightly, his tone carrying a faint trace of a smile. "I just wanted to know if you'd count me among those things too." Luka's steps froze. She turned to look at him. But Gakupo had already walked on as if nothing had happened, as though he'd just said something perfectly ordinary. "...Gakupo." "Hm?" "That thing you just said — that was really sly." "You're the one who said you like cute things." "When did I say you were cute?" "You didn't." "Then why did you—" Luka stopped halfway through her sentence. Gakupo turned back to look at her. "What's wrong?" She pressed her lips together, then finally just laughed softly. "Nothing." "Really?" "Mm." She walked back to his side. "I just think today you're joking around more than usual." "Because there's no work today." "So you usually hold back on purpose?" "Maybe." "Then I should arrange more days off for you next time." Gakupo looked at her, his eyes softening. "I'll look forward to it." The two walked and talked on, the topics drifting from the bookstore, the drinks, the shops along the street, all the way to the seasons they each liked and the places they wanted to visit. Neither of them deliberately steered the conversation, and neither was in any hurry to end this walk. When Luka looked down at the book in her hands again, she suddenly noticed the maple leaf tucked between its pages was peeking out at the corner. She reached out and held the book more securely. Noticing her movement, Gakupo asked, "Still worried the leaf will fall out?" "Mm." "Then be careful with it." "I will." She answered with a smile. "Because it's today's most important souvenir." Gakupo glanced at her and said nothing. He simply walked beside her, along the road covered in maple leaves. And this conversation — with no stage, no audience — quietly left behind, in both their hearts, an echo gentler than any applause.