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[IamanElfCollaborator]

"Thank you. I...well, I was inspired by your debut album, Fujibayashi-senpai. I'd always dreamed I'd get to perform alongside Galactic☆Fairy one day, so I worked hard to get here."
Ayaka bows again.
"The...ahem. My partner, I believe, she worked with you before."

[Solymr]

: Ohh, my bad. Nice to meet ya! You're the main event though, aren't you? We're the gonna be the ones opening for you.

Araki tried looking to where the girl had come from to see if he recognized the veteran.

: Does that mean you came here with your partner then?

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Araki can see that she has a white dress, and dark hair with a hint of purple. If he were to guess, she was shorter than average height.

Without seeing her face, he can't say for sure, but Araki (and Nagisa) does remember there might have been a few people who worked with Azusa like that. Mainly back in her Chili Pepper days, back when she wasn't the center of her own idol unit; they'd seen a few videos of Azusa's Chili Pepper days, both when Azusa showed them to her partners - she'd always been proud of her unitmates - and when Javi had used them as inspiration to subvert the expectations of idol culture on Azusa.

"Yes. My partner, she remembers eating here all the time with Kumon-senpai."

At that, Azusa's eyes visibly widen.

[SeriousConcentrate]

His debut? That was interesting. His musical style was still raw then, very unrefined and with a flavor somewhere between Appalachian Folk and Midwestern Emo with maybe the slightest influence of Bruce Springsteen. Even now the music he made on his own was completely unlike what Kumon and Araki put out, though it had been carefully tempered by Javier's guidance to something more palatable to the Japanese audience.

"We won't let you down. I'll make sure your performance with us is one to remember."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"Of course. I expect nothing less from you and I won't disappoint."
"Wait. You said yer....partner. She...ate here with me?"
"Yes, Kumon-senpai."

Azusa looks away, thoughtful.
"It couldn't be....could it?"

[GreenKnight]

"Sounds like we got your family opening with you, Azusa. Or practically, at least, if you shared a meal with them often enough." Briar says, having finished his meal and wandered over to look into the latest noise. "We'll have to do extra for them. Make the stage nice and welcoming, yeah?"

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Azusa nods slowly, as the woman that was sitting with Ayaka gets out of her booth.
"Yeah, I...huh. Huh?!"

The woman approaching them, Miyuki realises, was familiar. That day when Professor Ormrsdottir was briefing them, she'd seen her.

And she was familiar because she, not three years ago, was one of the most popular idols in Japan. Nagisa and Araki recognise her almost immediately - anyone, who was at all familiar with anything and hadn't been under a rock for the last half decade would have.

She was the former center of Chili Peppers. She'd taken the world by storm, and disappeared into the abyss after a stalker incident outside her apartment ended her career - and almost ended Azusa's, if not for Fire Soul. Any rising idol you interviewed in the last three years credited their interest in the profession to her.

Hikari's mouth hung wide open as she stared at who had just joined them, her mouth forming words but no sound coming out.

Aika Nishikino, former center for Chili Peppers, former partner to Azusa, was the second half of Double Ace.

"Long time no see, Azu-chan."

[GreenKnight]

Briar suppresses his desire to make witty banter in the face of this revelation. Having someone with so much history be on the protection list was heavy stuff, and he had no interest in stirring the pot. Looking between Azusa and Aika, he decided to back up a bit both physically and conversationally to give them some space.

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"...Ai-chan."
Azusa rubs the back of her head.
"...Long time no see."

"It's been a while. A few months, right?"
"I've been...busy."
"Hehe. I saw."

"Nishikino Aika...is part of Double Ace. We...are working...with Nishikino Aika."
Hikari, for her part, looks like she's about to faint. Aika simply laughs.

"Don't put so much stock in my name. I'm working my way up from the bottom again, just like you."
"You'll probably make it back up in a few months. Just like you did last time."
"Not if I have to outshine the Queens of Music. I hear you, Setsuna and Haruka are all working together now, right?"
"Hm."

"..."
Tsubasa takes a moment to pat Hikari across the back.
"Excuse her. She's just....a massive idol nerd."
"I'm used to it. This was supposed to be a surprise, honestly."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Breaking the silence, Ayaka clears her throat.
"So. That is why I think we'll shine brighter on stage than anyone. With Nishikino-senpai at my side, even the Queens of Music couldn't take us!"
"Don't make checks you can't cash, kiddo."
"Don't worry about it, Azu-chan. It'll be just like old times, right?"
In the background, Tsubasa is helping Hikari not to hyperventilate at the idea of performing with so many of her favorite idols on stage.
"Well, we should catch up sometime, no? I am....especially interested to know about your new partners. You moved on quite quickly after all that, didn't you?"
Aika eyes Nagisa and Araki with an unreadable expression.

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"Seems my partners are bein' shy. Sorry, not often they get to meet a pretty lady."
"No offense taken."

As Azusa and Aika continue to catch up, several things happen.

Firstly, Miyuki's phone goes off with a few text messages.

Secondly, Tsubasa's phone goes off. He checks it, his eyes widen, and then he immediately sends messages to Hikari, Misaki and Seitaro.

Thirdly, Araki's phone also goes off, for an entirely different reason.

[Solymr]

It was rare the occasion when Araki was left without words, but this was one of them. His clown car of thought having completely derailed, he was brought back to reality when his phone pinged.

: Hm? He shook his head and checked what was going on in his pocket.

[Chevaleresse]

Miyuki frowns, then pulls up her phone to check what the sudden barrage of texts was about.

[ctsun]

"Well, this seemed an awfully curious time to have a call-in, is it not? Wonder what this is about."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Araki notices that the text came from Setsuna.

Are you free later, Araki? Sorry to text you, I didn't wish to interrupt the happy reunion.
Miyuki finds that Haruka is the one who texted her.

I have leads on Fire Soul. Nago wants to talk to us later. When are you free?