Vocaloid: Re:VERSE [Miku x Luka]

12 | Miku

"Well," I pipe up, slowing my steady pace to a halt just outside my family house. Luka stops beside me, taking in our surroundings with an unreadable expression; I can't help but bite my lip and hold my breath, wondering what she's thinking. "This is it." My life is totally different from Luka's — she lives within a divided but wealthy family, whereas I reside in a small, cold, cramped council bungalow.

I wonder if she's embarrassed? Someone of her status really wouldn't want to be seen hanging around with some low-life loser such as myself. Though the two-bedroom bungalow is home, I'll be the first to admit it's not the most glamorous of places; the aircon and heating are, respectively, both utterly and completely crap. They don't even work half the time, meaning summers are far too hot, and winters are far too chilly. Furthermore, there is moss growing up the side of the walls, the carpets are stained, and most of the glazed windows are scratched. We have no garden, only a play park down the road.

Luka's house is most likely large. A luxurious mansion with lots and lots of rooms; I bet she has a study, two personal rooms, a library, and maybe even a hot tub she relaxes in come the end of a long day full of school and dance? I can almost picture it in my mind, and hell, that's a life I can only dream of leading.

Nervously, I await Luka's response. The anticipation is rising; why do I even care so much? I'd hate to look like a fool in front of her after such an amazing day. We walked around side by side, laughing all the while. We drank coffee and, in my case, an amazingly delicious mug of hot chocolate complete with fluffy, melting marshmallows and heavenly whipped cream on top, and we shared a blueberry muffin in a quaint local cafe I'd never even heard of before.

Now that I think about it, there's a lot of areas around town that I probably have no idea about. This place is different than it was several years ago — much, much different. I used to go out all the time, meeting up with a couple of friends and spending the day window-shopping in expensive tailors and grabbing a bite to eat at the cheapest fast food. Though since then, my adventurous instinct has disappeared without a trace, and I haven't properly been out for months on end. Primarily, I leave the house to go to school, buy some food, and on the odd occasion, hang out at Rin and Len's house, and that's about it.

Luka looks back at me, lips pursed into a smile. "Cute place," she comments, tilting her head slightly and allowing long strands of pink hair to fall over her shoulders. "How long have you lived here?"

"A few years," I reply, looking down at the ground and kicking the concrete below, scuffed shoes scraping along the gravel. "For a long time we lived up the top of town, but eventually ended up moving here. I'm sorry it's not very, yknow... pretty." Embarrassment momentarily washes over me as I bite my lip and glance once more at the pinkette.

"Home doesn't have to be stunning and luxurious to be home, you know," she responds, azure eyes like pools of water burning into me. "Sometimes, home doesn't even have to be a house." Briefly, she closes her eyes and breathes out a quick exhale, before looking back at me and smiling. "I should be heading back. Thank you so much for spending time with me, it's been a real pleasure."

Awkwardly, I smile back, trying to stammer out a legible response. "Thank you! I hope... maybe we can do it again?" The words come out before I even think about them — it's true, I've greatly enjoyed spending time with Luka. She's funny and kind, and I'd have absolutely nothing against spending time with her again in the near future; in fact, I'd love to.

Luka nods in acknowledgement. "I'd love to," she responds, before twisting around and making her way down the street. I watch her until she looms out of sight, unable to look away.

Life's weird. One moment I'm hating it; people are on my back all times of the day, at school and in public, trying to get me down. My mind is a mess and my motivation to do absolutely anything is nonexistent — I wouldn't oppose the idea of curling up and permanently hibernating. Though, the next moment, I meet a pretty girl with long pink hair the colour of newly bloomed cherry blossoms who takes me for hot chocolate in a sweet little cafe down town.