yumemigaoka | Theater Kid's March Comes in Like a Lion

[Keiwa can't afford a good bunch of things in Tsubaki Department store, but he's always looking for discounts. You never know when a deal might strike, after all! He's here just after the main announcement goes out, drawn in by the crowds of people and the angry whispering sweeping like a wave across the floor]

...?

[then he hears a familiar voice]

Eh? Junna-san? [he scoots over so he's not in the way of the main thoroughfare] What- I missed it, what happened?

[coming in halfway, the only thing Keiwa knows for sure is that this was something to do with Ai... If the photos of her on the news broadcast were any indication]

Keiwa-san! [She sounds alarmed, but--well, it's not like before.

No, it's what's on the television. A photograph of Ai, while the newscaster is going into the uncovered truth about her family.

Junna frowns.] Are... are you seeing this? What they're saying about Ai-san? [She keeps her voice hushed, so they're not overheard.]

I missed the first part...

[but he's frowning now too, as he reads the news scrolling at the bottom of the screen and starts paying attention to what the anchor was saying]

[worried;] Why would something like this be on the news? It's her private life...

[Keiwa doesn't keep up with idols or much in terms of entertainment news. For better or for worse, the craziness of the idol culture is something he only experiences second hand via his sister.

Ah--sorry... [She was shocked enough she didn't really think about it.

But then realization sets in more, and she looks down for a second.]

...It's like this for celebrities. If she didn't want this public, it shouldn't be. But--there's people who don't see it that way. It's awful...

But going this far into someone's personal life is too much, even if they are celebrities.

[there's a quiet, concerned hum] There's no way Ai-san wouldn't hear about this... Ah, wait, wouldn't this put those kids in danger though?

[it doesn't look like they've mentioned any names (illegal anyway) or put any faces up, but still... If people already being this nosy about just Ai, what would happen to the kids being talked about?]

Maybe we should check in with the Union about this...

It is. It's--this isn't right. I hate this.

[There's a flicker of fear, then. She didn't even think of that, at first. It could draw all sorts of attention to those kids.

She looks at Keiwa, and nods quickly.]

...We should. They--they probably know, but... we can't risk her children getting bothered. [Or worse.]

I'll give them a call, but considering this is on the news...

[he frowns at the TV screen as he pulls out his cell phone, looking worried more than disapproving. The damage is done, the only thing they could do was try and help mitigate it. But between the two of them, one's a freshly graduated high schooler and the other is a university student that was wrapping up his own studies]

...

[and now he waits for someone to pick up... Or he would. But after a few seconds, Keiwa lowers his cellphone and shakes his head] I'm just getting the busy tone.

...I bet everyone's calling. [Junna's lips tighten, feeling a scowl coming on. She fights it back. Getting angry in public won't do much. It certainly won't help Ai.

She looks sideways at Keiwa, then pulls out her phone. She... isn't sure who she would contact, though.]

...I hope Ai-san is okay. I can't... imagine what this would be like.

In a way, she might be used to the attention... Though it's probably still uncomfortable.

[he looks between the crowds that were passing through, the TV screen and Junna]

Maybe we should head to the DU. Or would we just get in the way... [he pockets his phone, looking anxious-] Ah, are you okay though? After... After last month, should you be running around like this?

That's... that's probably not the kind of attention she'd want, though...

[Junna hesitates. Then she swallows and looks at Keiwa, hesitating for a second. The impulse is to say she's fine. Except -- well -- that's what got her in the mess of last month in the first place. She shouldn't do that. Ai has helped her before; moreover, she can only imagine what Lisa and Amane are thinking.

She nods, reluctantly.] I'm... stressed about this, but I think I'll be okay. It's... really psychological, at this point. I'll back out if it gets to be too much, okay?

[She swallows.] Do you think we should go to the DU?

Edited 2025-03-08 15:48 (UTC)

No... She is used to having attention on her. So that part, at least, shouldn't be too bad.

[Keiwa can't even imagine how poorly he'd handle this in Ai's position. Even now, he's subconsciously curling himself up to make himself look smaller... Something that's obviously not very effective, considering his height. Basically, he's thinking about the scale of it...

But he looks over at her when Junna answers, giving her a nod] ... As long as you're okay with it.

Maybe. They probably already know, if the phonelines are these bad. [he looks at the screen again] Let's go anyway. It might not be much, but maybe there's something we could do to help?

Yeah... [She looks down for a moment, though. It still bothers her; the intrusion into Ai's privacy, the fact her kids could be exposed... it's all a lot. She hesitates for a second. But, Keiwa's right. She is used to it.

She looks sideways at him, then she nods.] I am. At... least for a little while. Tell me if you think I should stop, okay?

[She frowns a little, as she thinks about it.] At the very least, we can be on hand to help take stuff to people and answer questions, right?

[a small smile]

... I hope her kids will be okay. [it's hard to tell how old Ai is sometimes. Still, even with the most generous age given to her, if the news is correct and she became a mother when she was a teen, then the kids must be in middle school at the very least]

Okay. [for now, they're just on the periphery of this debacle, so he thinks Junna involving herself shouldn't be too bad. He's nervous about it too but-] They could probably use some extra hands at the DU. Let's go.

I hope so too. [She isn't sure. She's not a good judge of age, or--or anything like that. She's barely even thought about having kids herself. She hesitates for a second, as she considers it. Then, she looks at Keiwa, and nods.]

We can do this much for Ai-san, at least. [She nods, takes a deep breath, and pulls her phone out. She should text Amane and Lisa, too.] Let's go.

[he leads the way out of the department store, though the crowds aren't too ridiculous once they get out of the electronics department. But even walking around, there are little pockets of people chatting while looking at their phones. It's clear that the news is getting people to talk and talk a lot]

This is... Really bad timing for everyone at the DU. I can't imagine how Yoshino-san is going to handle this after...

['After Junna's own Disturbance.' Which goes without saying but isn't any less uncomfortable to point out. And seeing all these people talking about how 'Can you believe it? And when she was a teenager too!!' was giving him second hand anxiety on top of it]

Are you texting Lisa-san?

[Junna shoots someone that's talking about it loudly a glare as she passes, before she looks back up at Keiwa. She nods, though -- there's a moment where she flinches. This is bad timing, and it brings feelings of guilt from earlier in the month back up. She hesitates for a second, then tries to push past them.]

...I'm sorry. [It's said quietly.] It's terrible timing. We'll... just have to try to help, right?

[Then she looks up and nods, as she walks.] Yeah. And Amane-kun. I feel bad asking if they've seen, but... they should know.

[Well across the city, a brunette in a pink hoodie sits in stressed-out silence with the TV on the news, her laptop on YumeTube, her tablet on Yumegram, and her phone- ah.]

Already hyperventilating about it thanks dear <3
Probably heading to the DU shortly but I'll text you back
Don't do anything I wouldn't do

[-and then her phone conspicuously goes into do-not-disturb and tells Junna so.]

[She sends it even though Lisa's DND is on. She can see it later.]

I'm sorry.
Text me if you need a hug. I'll be at the DU too.
Love you.

[he jumps, then quickly;] It's not your fault! I'm sure everyone else would say the same thing. After all, how would any of us have known, right?

[no one here has premonitions (ha). There really was no way of knowing that Junna's Disturbance would have been followed up by something like this in the Waking World. It just-

Sadly;] It's just bad luck...

[nods] If you want, I can message Amane-kun and Tsukasa-kun about it. It'll be faster that way.

Y...yeah. It's bad timing, it's not... it's just coincidence. Still, that's... It's hard to not feel bad about it. [She exhales, a little shakily. She frowns for a moment -- looking down at Lisa's text. She grimaces, before she taps out a reply.]

I'll need to make sure she's okay later. Ah-- [She looks up at Keiwa, then blinks.]

Could you? That'd help.

Of course. I brought him to visit my family over Golden Week last year, and we exchanged numbers then.

[ever attentive to people's moods, Keiwa looks on in concern even as he gets ready to send a text to Amane]

... Is Lisa-san okay...? [pause, then;] Once we get an idea of how bad it is at the DU, you should probably take a short break. Just... How to say? Just a break.

[that's assuming that there's even anything for them to do. Keiwa's not so bold as to assume that a pair of civilians in the waking world could do much to assist in this media debacle]

Oh, I didn't know that! That sounds like a nice time. [It's a brief bright spot in an otherwise stressful time. Junna nods, then.] Thanks, Keiwa-san.

[Junna swallows, though, and looks down at her phone.] She's having trouble. I'm worried. I'll...

[There's a flinch. She starts to say she'll be fine. But... no, she can't keep doing that.] Right. I'll take one when we get there.

[a sheepish smile] Yeah, it seemed like a nice break after... ['after his Disturbance and surgery' is what Keiwa stops himself from saying. Instead, he takes the time to send a quick text to Amane about what's happened and that he's currently with Junna heading to the DU to see what they could do to help]

It seemed like it would be a nice break. My aunt owns a book cafe called the Milk Dipper. Since my uncle's an astronomer, it's also got his old antique telescope as a center piece in the cafe? [laughs softly] It's nothing special, but you wouldn't think that seeing how excited Amane-kun was.

[a nod...]

Hopefully Lisa-san remembers to take a minute for herself too.

I understand. [Junna nods, remembering very well that time after his Disturbance. It's hard to believe that it was a year ago. She shifts a little,as she remembers, and then she looks sideways -- and her eyes widen.]

I remember how much he liked the one at the party. That sounds like a great time. [She smiles, a little more brightly.] I'm glad he had the chance to get away.

[Then, she quiets a little. She looks down... then she nods, too.] ...I'll make sure of it. I know she's got to be taking this hard.

I'm glad his parents trusted me enough to let me take Amane to Tokyo! [a little embarrassed] But he seemed to have fun while we were there. Maybe what he needed was a change of pace.

[he looks around again, the crowds were a mix of people who were just going about their day regularly and the people who were obviously gossiping about the scandal that had just been unveiled for the public to pick apart. He nervously adjusts the strap on his backpack]

Make sure both of you remember to take a break.

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