Summer's Promise
Chapter 15: "Please, don't go any further."
Gakupo brought Luka home just in time before it got dark. Though he was invited for tea, Gakupo refused when he noticed Luka's father glaring at him from the window. After saying their goodbyes, Gakupo made his way home and Luka entered her warm house.
"Who was that?" Luka's father greeted his daughter from the entrance podium of the house.
"Oh, that was my friend, Gakupo Kamui," Luka answered, taking off her shoes and her coat.
"Just a friend?" he skeptically asked once again with his arms folded on his chest.
"Yes, Dad," the pink-haired girl gave her dad a peck on his cheek before she made her way to her room.
As soon as she closed her door, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. After placing her coat on the hooks nailed behind her door, she took out her phone to read the message she received.
"I hope you had fun today," she read with a smile on her face.
"I did! Thank you so much, Kamui-kun! If you don't mind, is it alright if we can visit Miku-chan tomorrow? I want to check if she's all better from her cold now," Luka replied right away, sitting down on her bed.
The pink-haired girl kept her eyes on her phone that lied on the bed beside her while she started rolling her socks off. Luka placed her used socks in her laundry basket, still looking at her phone.
After a few minutes of not getting a reply, Luka began to give up and started looking for pajamas to change into after her planned bath.
"Maybe I replied too fast," the girl worriedly thought, the inner tips of her eyebrows pulled up.
Luka left her phone on the bed and prepared her warm bath. Before she could start, she checked again, hoping the reply she'd been waiting for had arrived. However, her inbox remained empty. Sighing, Luka headed back to her bathroom and began undressing.
After she scrubbed her body very well and washed her pink tresses and gathered it on top of her head, Luka sunk her body in the tub. The warm water was jade-colored from the green tea she added in the water. Thanks to this kind of bath, Luka's skin was always smooth, soft, and evenly toned. The aroma from the fragrant bath salts she also added helped her relax.
Bath time was one of Luka's favorite methods of relaxation. Her mind would usually be clear, but this time, even with her eyes closed, she couldn't seem to find the peace she had always experienced in the water. When she opened her eyes, she looked at the tiled bathroom wall and watched the droplets from the steam slowly roll down. Her clear aquamarine blue eyes was still vivid, despite the blanket of steam.
"Strange," the pink-haired girl thought.
Her eyes widened when she imagined Gakupo's charming smile. She splashed the water when she felt her cheeks warm up.
"What is this?" yelling in her head with her eyes still wide, Luka placed her hand on her chest to feel the fast beat of her heart.
The bathroom was quiet once again. Luka's heartbeat quietly echoed in her chest the way the drops of water from her hair echoed in the bathroom. Before she could sink deeper into her thoughts, Luka submerged herself under the water, instead.
"I don't know anymore!" Luka thought, screaming underwater, forming bubbles on the surface.
When Luka finished her bath, she got dressed without even remembering about the text message she had been waiting for. However, when Luka returned to her room while drying her wet hair with a towel, she saw the LED lights of her smartphone blinking.
"He replied!" she jumped onto her bed and quickly opened the message.
"Alright. I'll be in front of your house at 11," the reply said.
Luka's face enlightened, answering her friend with an 'alright.'
"I hope you had fun today," Gakupo typed as he walked down the street to the station.
He had a smile on his face, though he felt physically and mentally tired. Gakupo had never met any girl as dense as Luka, so his hard work to make his intentions a little more noticeable drained most of his energy. After fixing the scarf he wore, Gakupo immediately received a reply from his pink-haired friend.
"I did! Thank you so much, Kamui-kun!" he read in his head with a clear picture of Luka's cheerful face.
"If you don't mind, is it alright if we can visit Miku-chan tomorrow? I want to check if she's all better from her cold now."
Gakupo's eyes widened after he finished reading the message he got. He started panicking when he realized that he would have to explain everything to Miku, including his intentions. Without even noticing, Gakupo had already made it to the station near his house after the three-minute subway ride. Still thinking about what to do, Gakupo kept his gaze on the ground while his body took him on his way home.
"Gakupo?"
Stopping him in his tracks was the last voice he wanted to hear at the moment. Slowly turning around, Gakupo found a short girl with teal-colored twin-tails carrying plastic bags full of various food, including a leek that stuck out.
"M-Miku, have you been sick lately?" Gakupo nervously asked with an awkward grin.
"No? I'm pretty healthy," Miku answered, giving her childhood friend a strange look.
Gakupo's head dropped as fast as his hopes did. He turned around with drooping shoulders and continued walking to his house. Miku knew that Gakupo was hiding something from her. Since he already included her in it with the strange question he asked, she was determined to get the truth out of him.
"You better tell me what's going on," the girl ran after him and placed some plastic bags in Gakupo's hands.
Since Gakupo's house was only a few houses down from Miku's, he had no choice but to accompany his childhood friend and help her bring the groceries home. Of course, he wasn't obligated to tell her anything, so Gakupo kept walking in silence.
"Start talking, baka!" Miku elbowed Gakupo's stomach, forcing him to talk.
The purple-haired boy narrated the events that began from when Luka messaged him on Christmas Eve. He also told Miku about how their day went in the busy shopping district. Knowing that he could trust his childhood friend, Gakupo also truthfully told Miku about how he flirted with Luka, though he was unconsciously rejected the whole time, thanks to the pink-haired girl's denseness.
"You got friendzoned?" asked the teal-haired girl, pausing from her steps.
Gakupo nodded with a sigh of mixed negative feelings.
Miku could no longer hold her laugh and let them out as she started walking again. She couldn't believe that she actually lived long enough to witness the day that a girl wouldn't flirt back with her childhood friend. Miku was aware of her friend's good looks. However, she had never been attracted to Gakupo, possibly because she had known him since they were little. She also had never understood why almost every girl they'd met, with the exception of the few people in their circle of friends, always went crazy over the purple-haired lad.
"Stop laughing, Miku. It's not that funny," Gakupo scolded Miku, his shoulders still dragging.
After taking a deep breath from her continuous laughter, Miku stopped in front of her house's door in silence. Gakupo also stopped, realizing that they'd arrive at Miku's.
"Luka-chan," Miku muttered after the short silence she shared with Gakupo in front of her door.
Miku turned around and grabbed the bags of groceries from Gakupo's hands. Gakupo looked up and straightened his shoulders when he sensed a feeling of seriousness from Miku's tone of voice. In front of him were blue eyes that warned him to stop any foolishness he had in mind.
"She's different," said Miku, her eyes not looking away from Gakupo's.
After a few seconds of silence, Miku turned around and opened the door with the key she pulled out from her pocket. Gakupo watched her open the door, his mind a little puzzled from what Miku said.
"Sure, I'll pretend," Miku cheerfully smiled as if she was a different person from when she talked about Luka.
"But, please don't go any further."
Miku gently shut the door, leaving Gakupo in more wonder. He knew exactly what Miku meant and he was aware of how sincere Miku was. No matter how curious he was, Gakupo decided that it was time for him to end his honest objectives.
"Alright. I'll be in front of your house at 11," Gakupo typed.
He started walking home after his finger pressed the 'Send' button on his touchscreen phone.
"My, my! You've finally visited us again, Gakkun," a lady with very dark blue hair greeted Gakupo and Luka in front of Miku's house.
"It's nice to see you again, Saki-san*," Gakupo kindly smiled, bowing to his elder.
Luka also bowed, not saying anything. Though she remained silent, her head roared with thoughts of how gorgeous the lady in front of her was. The steel blue-haired lady, who Luka assumed was Miku's older sister, had the same teal-blue eyes as Miku. Her hair, though, which was loosely tied into a low side-ponytail, only extended to her chest, unlike Miku's long twin-tails. The woman's soft voice also sounded kind and cheerful at the same time. Luka could really tell that Miku and the kind woman were related.
"Come on in," the lady named Saki invited the two teens inside the house.
"Ojama shimasu," Luka and Gakupo softly said as they entered the Hatsune family's dwelling place.
After they took off their shoes, Saki gave them a pair of house slippers exclusively for guests. Then, she escorted Gakupo and Luka to the living room and immediately prepared tea for the guests.
"I see you've finally settled on one girl, huh, Gakkun," Saki teased while she poured the tea in the deep tea bowls.
Gakupo looked at Luka with his blushing cheeks, thankful that she was looking around and observing Miku's house since it was her first time there. He realized that even if Luka did hear Saki's comment, the pink-haired girl's denseness would probably just cause her to slightly tilt her head to the side with confused eyes.
"She's just a friend, Saki-san," Gakupo painfully let out a short laugh, aware that he needed to tell the truth and correct the dark-haired lady.
Saki brought the tray of tea to the table in the living room. She sat in front of Gakupo and Luka to accompany the two. After bowing for gratitude, the two teens picked up their tea bowls and sipped some of the warm drink.
"You must be Luka Megurine, right?" the lady smiled as she picked up her own cup of tea.
"Oh, yes! I'm Luka Megurine. It's nice to meet you," Luka introduced herself, bowing from her seat.
"Micchan always talks about you," Saki gleefully smiled.
Luka's eyes began to shimmer in gladness. She was a little embarrassed, but she felt happy to know that her friends were thinking about her.
"Oh, and by the way, I'm Saki Hatsune, Micchan's mother."
Shocked, Luka's eyes widened even more. Saki, who had always been mistaken for Miku's older sister for her young look, laughed because she knew right away what Luka was thinking. Gakupo also giggled because he remembered making the same mistake when he first met Miku and Saki.
"Micchan entered the shower a while ago, so she should be done by now," Saki informed her daughter's friends.
"Is she alright now, Hatsune-san?" Luka asked in concern.
"You can just call me by my first name, Lucchan. And yes," Saki glanced at Gakupo, who nervously sipped some more tea.
"She's alright now."
Gakupo was relieved that Miku had informed her mother about the favor he had asked his childhood friend. Saki was like Gakupo's second mother, and because of her carefree character, Saki shared a nice bond with her daughter and her friends.
Luka was comforted to hear that her friend was doing well. Little did she know, however, that it was all just an excuse to back-up Gakupo. The purple-haired boy was aware that he didn't have to ask Miku to at least pretend recovering from being sick, but he knew Luka was genuinely worried about Miku, thanks to his lies. He was also aware that even if he was to end up explaining the truth to Luka, she still wouldn't understand, much to his disappointment. After all, he really wanted to let Luka know about his feelings.
When they finished enjoying their tea and their chat with Saki, Luka and Gakupo made their way upstairs to Miku's room. Miku, who had just finished drying her hair with a hair dryer, fixed her hair into one big braid.
"Yo, Miku," Gakupo's head poked from the side of the open door.
Luka rushed to Miku's side and gave her a hug. Miku was surprised by Luka's action, but it wasn't long until she embraced her pink-haired friend, too.
"I'm glad you're getting well," Luka burrowed her head on Miku's shoulder.
"Yeah," Miku smiled, but her sharp eyes blamed Gakupo for Luka's feeling troubled.
Miku sat down on the round carpet on the floor with her friends around the chabudai. Luka insisted on having Miku lie down, instead, but Miku kept rejecting. Gakupo read some of Miku's manga collection while the two conversed about Luka's day with Gakupo. The two girls exchanged numbers and the teal-haired girl even gave their other friends' numbers to Luka.
Before the silence could creep into the room, Miku kept the conversation lively by taking out a photo album that had photos from when she and Gakupo were in elementary school. Miku would talk about how the lad with purple hair had always been a ladies' man, even when they were still in elementary school. Of course, Gakupo was shy and a little upset that Miku would talk about him like that, but he considered it as punishment for what he had dragged his childhood friend into.
"May I excuse myself and use your bathroom, Miku-chan?" a few pages before Luka could reach the end of the album, her body notified her of a necessity.
Miku pointed at the bathroom's direction and Luka walked out towards where she was directed to.
When Luka closed the door, Miku let out a sigh and relaxed herself. Gakupo, meanwhile, flipped through the pages of the manga he just pulled out. Silence also sat with the two childhood friends who didn't know what to say to each other. They both wanted to speak up, but they knew they were going to clash.
Gakupo deeply thought about what Miku had been telling him before. His childhood friend had always been right about almost anything, so he knew that there must be a reason for what she'd been saying about Luka. Gakupo had always known that Luka was different, and that was probably the reason why he couldn't seem to keep himself away from her. However, like what Miku had said, he needn't go any further.
"Please, don't hurt me," Gakupo read a line in his head from the manga he was glancing through.
Because he was deep in his thoughts, he didn't focus on what he was reading, only subconsciously turning the pages. However, the four words he just read caught his attention. Not only did those words open his eyes, but also cleared his mind to reach a resolution.
"I understand," breaking the silence, Gakupo spoke up.
Miku couldn't say anything. She simply stared at her feet as she wiggled her toes. Of course, she felt horrible for making her childhood friend give up, but Luka was now an important person to Miku. The girl with teal tresses had already concluded that Gakupo was much stronger than Luka when it came to emotions. Therefore, Luka needed more protection.
"I'm sorry," Miku muttered.
The atmosphere was heavy. Their own minds and hearts weren't synchronized, but the two have concluded on what they've decided. It may not be best for all, but it was going to keep anyone, especially the weaker Luka, from getting hurt.
"We need to treasure her because she's a great friend," added Miku.
Miku took a deep breath after a few seconds of silence and patted her face.
"You'll find someone right away, you know," Miku's serious tone and expression was quickly covered up with a smile.
"That's true," Gakupo agreed when he realized that there really was no point in dwelling over something he can't fix.
As soon as Luka's footstep sounds began to approach the two, they smiled at each other, with a telepathic promise to treasure Luka and to keep her from getting hurt as they learn more about her.
Author's note:
baka- stupid/idiot/moron
ojama shimasu- used as a polite greeting when entering someone's home; literally means, "I'm going to get in your way" or " I will disturb you"
chabudai- a short-legged table used in traditional Japanese homes
manga- Japanese comic books
*Saki Hatsune is Miku's mother in this story. The Vocaloids don't really have parents, so their parents aren't always included in fanfictions. If they are, they're probably only referred to by their family name. If you know my method of naming people that don't have any, their names are usually related to the person they're related to. This time, Miku's mother is named after Miku's voice provider, Saki Fujita.