yumemigaoka | ★ what's admitted and omitted

★ what's admitted and omitted – that's her area!

⭐ Who: Ai and you!
⭐ When: End of August through September
⭐ Where: Various prompts around Yumemigaoka and the Dream Sphere
⭐ What: September Ai catchall! Things in the Dream Sphere are really starting to get out of control and with her responsibilities as someone so high up in the DU, Ai's buckling down and trying to focus on protecting the things she wants to keep safe. I'm also down for doing closed/private prompts so hit me up on Discord if you'd like to plan something!

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[Amane, on the other hand, is looking more than a touch suspicious as she cheerfully welcomes him in, but could anyone blame him? After that last private talk of theirs, he's almost afraid this was going to be another intervention of some sort, and with the broiling weather plus the recent Dream Sphere ban, that was the last thing he needs at the moment. Perhaps he should be focusing his worries on the latter more, though-- after all, had there ever been an occasion where they had straight up discouraged Dreamers from visiting?? Even with the weird Destabilization thing last month, the DU outright encouraged folks to get in there as opposed to banning them, so the sudden abundance of caution felt... odd, in a lot of ways.

Odder still was Ai's insistence that the meeting had to take place in her office (which, again, did NOT help the looming trouble vibes here), and while he understood why they couldn't just discuss it in the Dream Sphere, or even at the shop... it still made him feel a bit itchy stepping into the building. Maybe not so much as it would have before the trip last month, and with his Fujiwara Junior uniform on, no one could really peg him immediately as a Dreamer, but...

He slips inside the door, shrugging his bookbag off of his shoulders as he glances around the room. It's been a good while since he'd stepped into her personal office, and while he's not sure if anything about it had changed, it did certainly feel... smaller, in a respect. (Or maybe he had just gotten bigger since that time?) Amane sets the bag carefully on the floor before settling into one of the chairs-- but not before giving Ai a wary look.]

Senpai... just what's this all about, exactly?

[Figures this would be the one time he's actually direct about something, huh.........]

[ The smile she gives him in return is both weary and a little apologetic - after the capital-t Talk they've already had recently, she can't imagine the prospect of coming here for another one was all that appealing.

But he had showed up, with no complaints. At the end of the day, Amane's a good kid. ]

It's strictly Dreamer business this time, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.

[ She pulls the door shut as she says that before dropping the blinds on the little window - everything short of straight up hanging a do not disturb sign to ensure they get some privacy. She's technically breaking some rules here... Okay, well, outright breaking them, really but it's for a good cause. Really, it is! ]

Do you want something to drink before we start? Or some snacks? I'm out of my Hokkaido goodies but there's some cookies from Kokuhaku Tea with your name on them.

[Well... it's not like he could ever say no to Ai, now could he? And if it was important enough that she had to go through official DU means to set this all up in her office, it would have been rude to not show up and put all that effort to waste. Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind, of course, but for as sore as the whole talk had left him, he never wanted to deliberately hurt Ai in any way, shape, or form, no matter how he felt.

And from the look on her face, she probably felt the same way, too. That, along with her reassurances, set his nerves about a fraction at ease-- although with the extra measures she was putting in place for privacy, he couldn't help but start wondering what this was about. Was it for his sake? Or was this possibly something to do with Crimson...?

He loosens up his tie a little as Ai offers him some refreshments, still feeling the gross stickiness from outdoors lingering under his collar and clinging his hair to his skin. Thank goodness the DU had AC, but it was still a little bit of a trek from Kihada to Koubai and his uniform was making him pay for every minute of it.]

Some of that tea, definitely. It's hotter than Fury Peak out there...

[But the talk of snacks reminds him of something, and he unzips the bookbag at his feet, fishing out a small parcel from within.]

I'll trade some of your cookies with some of mine, though. [He offers over the neatly closed sachet bag of treats, the little handwritten note on the top making it immediately obvious that he wasn't the Yugi family member who made them.] Mom says "hi", by the way.

[ As she stoops down to dig his drink out of the fridge: ] It's pretty grim, huh? You can crank the AC up a little more if you're still feeling it.

[ Because of course she Very Nicely got her way about getting an AC unit right in her office. Of course she did. Well, it's not like she hasn't done enough work for the DU to earn it...

She comes back around the desk armed with drink and cookies, setting them down in front of him – then when she spots the treats she's getting in exchange, her face lights up. ]

Ooh, lucky me! Heehee, I'll have to make sure I come visit Nanami-san to say thanks if things calm down. [ If and not when. If she notices her own slip, she doesn't comment on it, instead popping open the bag of treats and sitting herself down opposite Amane. ] Things are going alright at school, right? You and Tsukasa-kun are doing okay?

[ She has to soften him up just a little before getting to the serious stuff, alright? ]

[His own face lights up for the first time since he stepped into the room at her offer, the extra respite from the heat being too good to pass up.]

Could I...?

[Normally, Amane probably would have declined due to manners (he was a guest in her office, after all, and he didn't want to overstep any lines), but... the sweltering weather posed a very real risk to his health, so the more ways he could combat heatstroke, the better.

He waits until she's busy with the fridge to go turn up the AC just a few notches higher (but not TOO high... it's not like he was great with the cold, either!!), settling back into his seat by the time she gets the refreshments onto the desk. He reaches for the tea, eager to get some sort of hydration in, though he pauses for the briefest of moments at her slip. Hm. That was... definitely a little suspicious, but for now, he was going to sip at his drink and play along for the time being.]

Mm...it's about the same old stuff, really. [Read: quiet, lonely, sort of boring--] The semester just started so it's not like we've gotten a lot of work or anything. Tsukasa's... still Tsukasa, though. [aka chaotic, unpredictable, and probably full of ghosts] He keeps asking when you're gonna come over to play again.

[He reaches over to grab one of the cookies to munch upon, carefully turning over his next words in his head before he speaks up again.]

... what about you, though? Things must be pretty busy here if you haven't been stopping by that often.

[As if he wasn't aware, or even somewhat involved, with the chaos happening in the Dream Sphere the past few months, but something tells him there's much more going on than he knows.]

[ The smile Ai gives him is the picture perfect image of a busy business lady rushed off her feet doing business things. To anyone else, it'd probably look perfectly authentic but if anyone would know when Ai is flashing one of her PR smiles, it'd be Amane. ]

When aren't things busy over here? Being an idol and a Dreamer means giving things a hundred and ten percent a hundred and twenty percent of the time.

[ She says it cheerily enough... but then the smile gradually slides off her face to be replaced by something more serious. Not quite grave, but...

Ai sets down her drink. ]

... Amane-kun. I called you her today because there's something I need to talk to you about. And if I tell you, I'll need you to promise that you won't speak a word of it to anyone else. Not your parents, not Tsukasa-kun or anyone else. If you'd rather not have to keep another secret, then we'll change the subject and you can tell them I was just checking in with one of my old trainees and it'll be the truth.

[ Her gaze is bright and direct and her voice level and soft. This isn't Ai the idol or Dreamer Ai-Doll speaking - it's the Hoshino Ai who takes nothing more seriously than looking out for her kids. ]

Is that something you're okay with?

[... oh. Yup, there it is: Ai's patented, professional adult smile-- that means there was definitely more going on... though whether it was just things a young Dreamer couldn't be privy to, or something more, he couldn't tell. He's quiet as he sips on his cold tea, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and sure enough, it does-- but not quite in the way he expected. It feels as if his fingers have gone numb as he listens to her speak (an odd sensation after all of the heat blazing outside), the creeping dread of something serious and potentially dangerous lurking about the corner, despite her soft tones. For her to go to all of these lengths, and then ask him this... just what exactly was going on here?

He meets her bright gaze with a solemn one of his own, his voice and expression surprisingly earnest, even for his Waking World self.]

... of course. You know you can trust me, Ai-senpai.

[Had this line been to someone else, it probably wouldn't mean a whole lot-- after all, with how much mischief he's caused in the Dream Sphere, some people wouldn't trust him as far as they could throw him-- but in this case, it was much more than a simple statement on his end-- there was a weight to those few words, and it was a hefty one. He'd known Ai's greatest secret for as long as he could remember, and for as much as he was having trouble keeping his own personal skeletons in his closet, he would rather die than ever give up that information to anybody else. Maybe having a boy his age be her confidant wasn't the most ethical of things, but Amane didn't particularly care. He just wanted to be someone she could confidently rely on, even if there weren't many options around.

Cradling his drink in his lap, he chooses his next words slowly, afraid of where this conversation was about to head to next.]

You said... this was about Dreamer stuff, right...? Does it have to do with the locations going all weird last month?

Mm. Right now we're thinking that it probably does – or at least that it'd be a big coincidence if it didn't. But we can't be a hundred percent sure just yet.

[ Once again she goes quiet, thoughtful. Her eyes flick away from Amane's, down to the tray between them, just to give her space to organize her thoughts. It only takes a few seconds but something seems to settle and resolve as she sits up a little straighter and meets Amane's gaze again, even more directly than before. ]

... I was trying to think of how I could explain it without scaring you. But I think if you're serious about fighting as an Experienced Dreamer, then you need to get used to hearing things that might be scary. I'm going to talk to you right now as an Experienced Dreamer to another Experienced Dreamer.

[ A pause to let that sink in. Then; ]

You've heard of Miomio and Pure Candy, right?

[ The tilt of her head makes it clear she knows this is a total non-sequitur – but just stick with her for now. ]

[His hands grip his bottle of tea a little tighter in his lap, feeling his jaw tense in anticipation. It's sad to say he's a bit used to this already-- the careful stepping around words to make the scary news hit less hard, though only doing enough to draw out his trepidation instead. He's had to deal with this before when it came to talks about surgeries, talks about his brother not possibly coming home... and now, apparently, whatever's happening in the Dream Sphere too.

But this was different: he wasn't a scared, powerless boy at the mercy of things he could not control anymore-- he was a Dreamer, and he had the weapons to stand up to whatever unknowns he might come across. So he meets her gaze levelly, giving Ai a small nod to let her know he understood; if she was going to treat him like a peer, then he was going to steel up and let her know he was worthy of that distinction.

... that said, her next question takes some of that tension out of the moment, and his stare turns to one of mild disbelief.]

Um... no, not really? I mean, I've heard some of my classmates talk about them, but I don't normally pay attention to idol stuff...

[Maybe not the smartest thing to admit to a woman who is the Idol Among Idols, but celebrity culture in general wasn't one he was interested in. Besides, when you were a fan of Ai Hoshino, what other idols could compare??

He has... an inkling she was headed somewhere with this, though, but what it could be was beyond him. Amane tilts his own head, brow furrowing in question.]

Why do you ask...? She's not a Dreamer or anything, is she?

[And even if she was, it wouldn't exactly explain those disturbances, either...]

Not as far as we can tell, no. Which is part of the problem.

[ Now isn't that ominous. ]

Near the end of last month... I don't know if anyone who wasn't working as an entertainer would've heard about it, but Pure Candy had to cancel a concert and it sounded like it came completely at the last minute. Nobody knew why until a little while later when Kasuga-san's family reported her missing. She'd just vanished without a trace.

[ She doesn't think she has to remind Amane, of all people, what that reminds her of. ]

Normally this sort of thing wouldn't have anything to do with the DU, obviously, but... we found her. I don't know how they detected her, but the reason she'd gone missing was because she was in the Dream Sphere. Not as a Figment, but it was the real Kasuga-san in the flesh.

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★ what's admitted and omitted – that's her area!

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