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Who: Natsuru Senou and Naoto Shirogane
When: August 3rd
Where: A certain sweets shop on the Near Shore
What: A chance second meeting at their proper ages

[It's the middle of summer, and business seems to be going well at the shop thanks to all the new frozen treats they've been selling! Of course, this means Natsuru is kept a little busier than usual, and the heat can be a little difficult. The bulk of her job is still standing outside and greeting potential customers, offering small samples of the latest and most popular items. She's actually grateful for the skimpiness of her costume lately... at least she keeps somewhat cool. Really, after a few months of this, she hardly gets embarrassed over it anymore either.

Being a shinki, it's a bit challenging having a job like this on the Near Shore. People still sometimes walk right past her or glance over her as if she's part of the scenery. This just means she's had to get better at grabbing people's attention, which should serve her well with her idol training under Hibiki's agency! That, and the confidence building she's been working on in general. She's kind of proud of the fact that she's able to come out and do this job regularly without getting too nervous or awkward over it anymore.

At her best, she's a bundle of perky energy, at least outwardly, when she attempts to get a passerby's attention. Like now, when a certain other, much more petite, blue-haired girl walks by. Someone she doesn't recognize yet, but give her a moment... she's still in work mode.]

Hello! Would you like to try one of our new summer treats? We have shaved ice and mochi samples, in our most popular flavors!

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[Yeah, in Naoto's case it had been less jealousy and more just being very impressed by how much little Natsuru had... um, well, grown up.]

[The change of topic is certainly appreciated by Naoto as her brain was still struggling to process what her proper response should have been to Natsuru's previous compliments. She smiles gently as the red finally starts to dissipate from her face.]

Oh, um, okay. Lunch sounds rather nice actually.

[And if they were going to be coming back, then there was no need to worry about the mochi box now.]

Is there someplace nearby that you like?

Great!

[She's genuinely excited about this! ... An awkward, slightly shy form of excited, and still uncertain how to even do this new friends thing, but excited nonetheless.]

There's a curry house right around the corner, if you like that sort of thing. We're right in the middle of a big restaurant district, so there's lots of options.

[She starts walking towards the sweets shop as she talks. Slowly at first, but she picks up the pace if Naoto follows. She still has to go through the motions of finishing up her shift, after all. That and she'll need to grab the rest of her things if she's going out to lunch with Naoto.]

[As their conversation switches more to making plans, Naoto's able to relax further and return to something close to the calm, cool disposition she'd had when they bumped into each other again. She gives Natsuru another small, kind smile.]

It's been a while since I've had any curry, so that sounds delicious.

[At first, she's unsure if she should follow when Natsuru starts walking back to the store, thinking the other girl wants her space to change. But when Natsuru looks back at her, Naoto blushes a little and steps forward to join her.]

[She leads the other girl through the shop, and into the 'employees only' door in the back. Naoto's her friend, and she's with her, so she doesn't think it'll be a problem to have her along. No one on the Near Shore is likely to notice that well, anyway.]

I haven't had curry in a while, either! And since we're coming back, we could get a little something here for dessert, if you want.

[There's a row of small lockers for employees, one of which is labeled with a cute sticker and Natsuru's name. If she left hers unmarked like the rest, they might forget that locker already belongs to someone.

She doesn't seem to plan to change out of this outfit, though. She just gets her purse out of the locker, and turns to Naoto with a bright smile.]

Ready?

[Naoto follows her to the back of the shop, and when Natsuru opens her locker, Naoto turns around expecting the girl to be about to change her clothes. Thus, Naoto directs her attention elsewhere, making it look like she's simply surveying the room's interior, as she can feel the heat returning to her face. She finally turns back around when Natsuru asks if she's ready to go. Naoto blinks at the taller girl a moment, before nervously reaching up and scratching her cheek with a finger.]

Um, you don't want to change clothes?

Eh?

[Natsuru blinks too, seeming surprised that Naoto would even think about such a thing. The reasoning occurs to her after a moment, and a faint trace of that blush returns to her cheeks.]

Oh, um... I don't usually change until I get back home. It's not a big deal, since most people don't even notice us...

[She's miscalculated slightly there, it seems. Now that Naoto's with her, she'll be at least a little self-conscious. But if she can't handle being out in public in an outfit like this, how is she ever going to make it as an idol in CelePara?

... Oh yeah, that's another thing they talked about when she was little, isn't it? It's a little embarrassing, since she doesn't actually remember if she dreamed of being an idol when she was alive or not. With another shy smile, she adds:]

Anyway, it's nothing unusual for an idol! Right?

[It's like she's trying to convince herself as much as Naoto. There's some determination in there too, though. She really does want to be more confident about things like this.]

[That was a good point wasn't it? The Near Shore residents would notice the two of them only after they put forth a concerted effort to attract attention. Even then, it was unlikely that anyone from the Near Shore would even fully process what the two of them were wearing, idol outfit or otherwise. Realizing that, Naoto chuckles awkwardly and crosses her arms over her waist in a poor attempt to seem nonchalant.]

Ah, right...

[When Natsuru mentions being an idol, however, there's an initial look of surprise, and then a genuinely warm smile crosses Naoto's lips as she looks at the taller girl with almost a certain sense of pride.]

I remember you telling me that becoming an idol was your dream. I'm happy for you, Natsuru-chan.

[Oh, gosh. For a moment, that look reminds her of how it felt when she was small, and the more grown-up Naoto was encouraging her in her goal to become an idol. Maybe it wasn't actually her dream as a child, she can't say for sure. But that's the only childhood she remembers, and it gave her a different sort of enthusiasm for her goals that certainly makes becoming an idol feel a little bit like a childhood dream coming true. Who's to say if that feeling will last, but it's a nice feeling for the moment.]

Th-... Thanks...

[She looks down a little, blushing harder but also smiling.]

I'm not really there yet! But I've been performing, and Hibiki-sama says I'm doing well.

[Naoto shakes her head, still smiling encouragingly.]

Well, what's important is that you're pursuing your goal. Though, if you're performing already, then that sounds like idol work to me. You should give yourself a little more credit. I'm sure you're doing great.

[On that note, Naoto waves her arm, gesturing towards the door and signalling that she's ready to head to lunch.]

Shall we? You must be hungry or at least eager to get off your feet for a little bit.

Edited 2017-09-01 21:45 (UTC)

[For a brief moment, it's like nothing has changed since they met. Natsuru fondly remembers the older Naoto encouraging her as a child to pursue her dreams, with neither of them aware at the time that Natsuru had already begun on that path. Things have changed, and it turns out they're much closer in age than they'd thought. But so far, Naoto doesn't seem that different as a supportive friend than she did as a cool older sister figure.]

Thank you, Naoto-chan...

[She nods in agreement, beginning to lead the way out the door and down the street. She's silent for a moment, but finally adds:]

I, um... I hope you'll come see me perform next time! I don't know when it'll be yet, but if you want... I'll let you know.

[Naoto nods and smiles warmly at the invitation.]

Of course. I'd be more than happy to come see you perform, Natsuru-chan.

[A thought then occurs to her as they walk along.]

I'm curious, as a resident of the Far Shore yourself, isn't it difficult to hold a concert here in the Near Shore? As you pointed out, we're not so easily noticed when visiting. Then again, I suppose a live performance would certainly command a certain level of attention.

Ah, well... honestly, I don't know! My... debut was in Hibiki-sama's temple, so we've only performed for other gods and shinki so far.

But... [And here she starts to blush again.] ... Hibiki-sama was cast in a movie too, so I don't think it's impossible. Maybe that's how it works, and we just have to get enough attention to be noticed.

Oh!

[Naoto hadn't realized Natsuru's concerts have been exclusively in the Far Shore for the time being. Now, she feels a little guilty for never having known anything like this was going on. A flicker of a memory suddenly comes back to her of her first evening after her arrival.]

Did you have a concert during the Tanabata Festival? I remember there being a stage at the event, and that there were performances and music playing throughout the day.

Oh, were you there? I did perform one song on stage at the festival.

[She glances off to the side, that shy smile crossing her lips again. She did perform, but that wasn't her real debut. That, and the thought that Naoto might have actually seen her first performance makes her a little embarrassed. She'd be happy if that were the case, though? What a strange feeling.]

The real show was earlier, though. That was the one at Hibiki-sama's temple.

I was. That was my first day here in the Far Shore. I admit that at the time I was a little more preoccupied with locating my god than I was with the musical acts on stage.

[She smiles kindly at her friend.]

Though, now of course, I wished I'd paid a little closer attention. I'm sure you put on a wonderful performance.

[Oh no, now she's making her blush.]

It's okay! I'm sure I'll perform that song again, next time we put on a show. I practice all the time.

[The blush only grows deeper at that admission. She really is working hard towards this goal of being an idol, and it both makes her happy and feels kind of embarrassing to admit for some reason.]

Besides, there's a lot to get used to when you're new here. Especially for us...

[Gods seem to have it easier, what with having all their memories intact and all.]

[Naoto smiles warmly at her blushing friend and encourages her further.]

I'll make sure not to miss the next one. I promise.

[That's just making her blush more! But she still seems happy to hear Naoto say that. Maybe there's a little residual feeling left of the little girl who wanted her cool big sis friend to see her perform one day, in the background of the growing happiness to have another friend her own age that she could share her performances with.]

Thanks. I, um...

[She mulls over various ways to say what's on her mind. There's a lot of flowery nonsense about ~sharing one's feelings with the audience~ in there, but in the end she settles on the simplest, most direct way to express herself.]

I'd really like that.

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