Devillic Log: Kaiya is Very Popular

[mikazuki_chan]

Naoto is one of many people who is looking to get custom work done by Kaiya. There seems to be a bit of a bottle neck, honestly. She's busy with school and portfolio work so there's basically a commission line. But luckily the violinist is high up on the list. Not too long after the giant, double band + loved ones Hanami party, he has plans to meet up with her again. He has a couple things he wants, including the outfit she'd planned for him, and some animal things. As such, he ends up going with a bunny boy look, not the least of which so they can match the fur colour of his ears to some material for a future tail. He has to use his phone to get to the train station she'd asked him to meet her at, but he arrives safely and on time.

Kaiya had gone very quickly from small time fashion designer for herself and her brother, and occasionally for other people as one-offs, to being very much in demand. It still felt completely unreal to her, honestly. She had no idea *how* she was suddenly making custom outfits for not just one member of Devillic, but two! (Three if she counted her boyfriend!) But... here she was, waiting for Naoto to meet her so that they could go fabric and notion shopping so that she could start work on the outfit he had selected from her designs, as well as a few other items he had requested specifically and she had designed to match his interest.

When the violinist got off the train, Kaiya waved as soon as she saw him. She was dressed in a more gothic lolita style than she normally might, mixing an edgy black and purple skirt with a white petticoat underneath that she had gotten for an absolute steal from a second hand store (not name branded, but she wasn't worried about that too much, it just being an under garment). Her top was maybe a little too rock and roll looking to be truly gothic lolita, but she thought it still looked fine. With her growing chest, it certainly showed more cleavage than it had when she made it initially, but it still fit nicely, so she hadn't found a reason to redo it or adjust it just yet. Her hair she had wrangled into perfect spiral curls, and she had pinned two cute black and purple ribbon bows in them to each side to complete the look. She had to look at least half decent next to Naoto, right?

For once, Naoto feels like he might not be the one who stands out the most, although that's partially because of Kaiya's gorgeous red curls. Young people with dyed hair is decently common depending on what part of Tokyo you're in, but what Kaiya has? You truly don't see that every day. He smiles and heads over to her, "You look really cute, Kaiya-chan. I... don't really know this area? So please lead the way?" He suggests. It's not that he wants to rush and get this done or anything, but he also doesn't want to waste her time when he knows she's pretty busy.

"Thanks!" Kaiya replied brightly, taking the compliment at face value. "You look really cute too! I love the bunny ears particularly!" She added, supplying a very truthful compliment of her own. The admission that Naoto didn't know the area wasn't completely surprising, so Kaiya just nodded and led the way out of the train station and down the street toward the stores that she wanted to visit.

The area they're in has fabric stores, notions, and vintage stores - none of which are really Naoto's vibe, as he can't sew and is more interested in branded EGA stuff than vintage stuff. He smiles, and explains, "These are the ears where I was hoping you could help with a tail to match them?" Naoto explains, which comes through despite the tone of his voice.

Kaiya had spent enough time with Naoto at this point to have gotten used to the way that the violinist sounded unsure, even when he wasn't. She interpreted the questioning tone as more being polite than anything else. So, when he mentioned the reason for the ears, she looked at them more critically, even as they continued to walk down the street. "Mmmm.... I think I can do something... Just have to find the right faux fur." She wasn't opposed to using real fur if that was what Naoto wanted, but that would be more expensive, she was sure, and she thought the ears were probably faux anyway. "Have to think of how to structure it.... you want it to be able to clip to whatever you're wearing, right?" She asked, making sure she understood exactly what the violinist wanted.

"Yes, that's right. I have a tail, I don't like to wear it because it's... not the right shape? But you can copy it to understand the clipping maybe?" He suggests, although really he's just sharing the excellent idea Kenta had given him on the topic. The ears are almost certainly faux, and he'd feel pretty sad using actual fur honestly (though he could afford it...)

"Ooooh~ having an example even just to get the idea would be great!" Kaiya enthused, happy that she wouldn't have to completely make up the attachment herself. "Okay, so we're looking for faux fur in the right colours, maybe some vegan leather to help structure, some batting for stuffing the tail.... and whatever clips, if you recognize ones similar to the tail you already have?" She suggested, making a list in her head. "And then everything for your new outfit... and was there something else you wanted me to work on?" She thought there was, but she couldn't remember what it was at that exact moment.

Naoto smiles, and is utterly amazed by Kaiya instantly coming up with a list of materials, practically just based on his description. He should have brought the tail he doesn't like along but he hadn't thought of that. "I think the tail was the other thing? Unless I've forgotten something?"

"Oh! Okay. You're probably right." Kaiya agreed. She had been pretty sure there was something else they'd discussed at some point, but she hadn't remembered about the tail, so there was a good chance that was the thing she was thinking of. "Okay, so not too bad." She said decisively. Not necessarily the reaction that most people might have had, given just how much fabric would be needed for that outfit. Given that it was a four piece outfit including pants, shirt, vest, and jacket, and nothing about the design was simple, there was going to be a lot of fabric involved, nevermind everything else. The thing that was probably going to take them the most time, though? Choosing the perfect buttons. Simple, run of the mill buttons obviously were not going to do. They might end up having to go into the antique stores to find something neat, honestly.

The violinist admits, "I mean, I'm practically overwhelmed by the idea of how many things are on our list but -- I know you can do it," Naoto has confidence in her, especially since she makes lots of clothes. He's brought his wallet and that's gotta be like 80% of his job today. He notices that there are actually a lot of young trendy looking people - not so many in the goth or elegant vibe like him and Kaiya, but well, most the sort of people who would be frequenting the vintage shops. "This area is really nice though?"

Kaiya couldn't help but giggle at that a little bit. "I mean, there is a bit... but I have done costumes for five guys all at the same time." Sure, she'd had help from Mikoto in making all of those happen quickly enough, but the fact remained that they had all been her designs and she had gone shopping for all of the fabric for those costumes at the same time. This wouldn't be the first time she went home with a ridiculous stack of stuff to work with. The comment about the area had her nodding and looking around at the vintage shops they were passing. "Yeah! It's really pretty. I'm glad that there are so many nice fabric shops down this way. I think we might end up back at some of these stores later if we don't find the right buttons at any of the stores. I'm thinking it would be nice to do silvery buttons with some kind of unique design on them, but I don't know if the normal fabric store will carry anything like that." She wouldn't even be opposed to cutting the buttons off of some old suit if they were what she was looking for.

"Oh wow! That's right, you made Shotgun's costumes, right?" Naoto is pretty sure about that, but hadn't thought it through logically to realize they would all have been made at the same time. It must be hard to (mostly) single-handedly dress a band. Although at least as an unsigned indies band Shotgun doesn't need a new look any time soon.

The truth is, Kaiya had mentioned fabric and notions shopping when inviting Naoto, and to this moment he still has no idea about notions, and hadn't given much thought to the buttons. "Oh, that's a neat idea for how to get nice buttons."

"Mhm~ Though... I did have help getting them all done in time. Miko-chan is great at sewing too." Kaiya advertised, using the name she always used for Mikoto, pretty sure that Naoto would know who she was talking to after everyone had hung out for hanami recently. His enthusiasm for her button idea had her nodding, though. "Yeah! I feel like, to get what I want, I'd either have to custom order them from somewhere, or find something vintage and cool." She confirmed. Of course, there was a chance that something cool like that would be in the stores they were going to visit, but she wasn't going to be surprised if there wasn't.

"Oh wow, I didn't know he could sew too --" And then showing one of those rare astute moments that happen sometimes with areas that he's actually familiar with, he realizes, "Oh, he must tailor his clothes." Everything always fits the blond so well despite being so petite and slim so it makes perfect sense to the violinist now. He found the blond a bit 'much' in some ways, but had had fun talking fashion with him at the park.

"Mhm~ He does! He even made some of his dresses!" Kaiya advertised brightly. "I'm kind of surprised that didn't come up! I thought I saw you talking to Miko-chan during the hanami party?" She asked, thinking maybe she had been wrong about that. She had done her fair share of talking with the violinist at the event as well, of course, but there had been a lot of people to talk to and spend time with, so she obviously hadn't been with him the entire time. As they talked, she turned into the first store that she wanted to look at.

"I did, we talked a lot about fashion - but I don't think he mentioned making things? Or like, sewing?" Naoto had to admit. Actually there had been a lot of bemoaning putumayo, and the trend in a lot of the rock brands towards big baggy stuff. Like the unisex part is nice but why does unisex mean in a tent? The hanami party had been quite an event, especially with a transfer to the Traveller later so it would be safer to have partners around. He follows Kaiya into the store, eyes wide at the riot of fabrics, colours and patterns.

"Mmmmm.... I guess that makes sense. I don't think he mentioned it to me until after he knew I sewed..." Kaiya mused, trying to think back. It had been so long ago now, though, that she wasn't at all sure when or how the subject had come up. "So what fashion stuff did you guys talk about?" She asked, curious now, since she wouldn't say that Mikoto's fashion and Naoto's were much alike.

"We talked a lot about how the alt brand labels have been tending towards baggy unisex looks, and how it's like... yay unisex, but why is everything a tent?" Naoto replies, sounding relatively sure until his tone goes up at the end. "And what bands we've been listening to?"

That response just made Kaiya laugh lightly. "I think you and I have had that same conversation." She admitted, heading straight for the area she thought the right material for Naoto's outfit would be in. The violinist's additional comment made her more interested again, "Oh? Was there much crossover?" She asked, fingering the first potential black material she found.

"Hmm. Not much? I don't really listen to kpop or osharei kei? But it was interesting anyways. "

"Ah~ I see. I thought, maybe, there might be some oshare kei, or grunge, crossover, or something." Kaiya commented with a shrug, then moved on. "Did you get to talk much with the other Shotgun guys?" She asked, totally forgetting for the moment that Naoto was legitimately friends with Rei already. She frowned a bit at the weight of the fabric she'd been checking, then moved to check the next one.

"I spent a lot of time talking to Rei-kun. I was a little surprised that he's still so cuddly even now that he's dating his roommate, but at least his boyfriend seemed very understanding," Naoto explains, blissfully unaware that Keigo had once thought of him as a romantic rival.

Kaiya couldn't help but giggle at Naoto's observation about the elfin guitarist, "He's always been suuuuuuper cuddly. Like, cuddles anyone that will let him. And I think Keigo-san is just used to that? But then, Rei-kun gives Keigo-san the most cuddles, so I guess it works out?" She suggested, though most of her attention was actually on the fabric in her hands. She thought it wasn't too bad, but wanted the violinist's opinion. "What do you think of this?" She asked, indicating the fabric with a nod.

"Oh, I know," Naoto replies, on the topic of Rei being super cuddly. He, after all, has cuddled and even kissed the other man, so he has first hand evidence. When Kaiya asks him about the fabric he reaches out to touch it, but honestly, he knows so little about fabric he's not even sure what she wants from him. Like is he supposed to judge how heavy it is, or the colour? The good news is that he feels very comfortable with Kaiya, so he's able to admit that he doesn't know, "Ano... what kind of... feature? do you want my opinion on?"

Kaiya just smiled at Naoto very definitively stating his familiarity with Rei's ways. It really did seem like the violinist and guitarist were pretty good friends. The admission that Naoto didn't know what she was wanting his opinion on made her blink at first, since she thought it was so obvious, but then she smiled again. "Well.... I like the type of fabric itself for working with, because it only has the smallest amount of stretch, but isn't too stiff either. I think the colour of black is good for what we discussed. But... You're going to be the one wearing it, so I want your opinion on the feel of the fabric itself, and whether you like the look of it." She explained.

Kaiya is a person Naoto feels safe enough to be dumb around, which is a special thing indeed. And her response helps him to understand clearly what she was asking, without making him feel like an idiot. "I definitely like the colour... it's not velvet? but it looks a little velvet-y? Which is nice..." he doesn't really have any special feeling about how it *feels*, but that also means he doesn't dislike how it feels so he decides it's probably fine, "I think it feels ok?"

"Oh good!" Kaiya responded brightly. She was glad that Naoto also felt positively about the fabric. Once she'd thought about the fact that Naoto wasn't knowledgeable about fabrics themselves, she definitely hadn't minded explaining her thoughts to him. She'd be at least as lost talking about instruments and such, after all. "Okay, I'll take a picture of the particular fabric so we can come back to it later if we choose it." She said, already getting her phone out to do so. Obviously she wasn't just going to choose the first acceptable possibility!

Naoto could definitely talk about violin strings in an amount of detail that could make a non musician's head explode, but doesn't connect that to someone being so expert in something he doesn't know -- or rather, maybe it feels like he should know more about clothes since he wears clothes and takes pride in buying nice items. He just nods to her taking a picture, and continues to led her lead the way.

To get a better idea of Naoto's end goal expectations for this outfit, Kaiya asked a few questions while moving on to the next possibility she had spotted. "So... you said you liked that the last one was kind of velvet-like... are you wanting this outfit to be kind of warm? Or maybe on the cooler, more breathable side? Also, are you more into a velvety feeling? Or maybe something silkier? Or something with a little more give?"

If this were someone Naoto is less accustomed to, that would be entirely too many questions. But he's comfortable taking his time with Kaiya, knowing that she would wait for him to figure things out. "Um... I like the look of velvet-y? Like it looks kind of fancy? or expensive? I'd rather it not be too warm. I can make things warmer by wearing undergarments? So yeah, maybe not too warm." If the outfit is warm, it limits when he can wear it. Something more breathable he can dress up or down and get more use of. And then he's kind of lost track of the questions anyways, "Um, I'm not sure?"

"Hmmmmmm.... okay, so something fancy, but still light-feeling." Kaiya summarized, not too worried that Naoto hadn't completely answered her questions. It wasn't too important knowing the violinist's thoughts on specific fabric types. She didn't mind asking him his opinion on every panel of fabric she considered if need be. That said, the one she had just been fingering felt too itchy under her fingers, so she passed it by for the next. This one had more of a silky feel. It probably wasn't as breathable as the first one she'd had him weigh in on, but she did want to know if this feeling was one he liked, "What do you think of this one? Like... the feeling of it." She clarified, just in case Naoto needed it.

"Yes," Naoto agrees, definitely liking how it sounded when Kaiya repeated his own thoughts back to him more succinctly. He's happy enough following along behind her, looking around at the store until he's asked to touch something again. He's definitely happy to have her give him a clear instruction too. "It feels soft? I think maybe the other one looked nicer though?"

Kaiya listened to her friend's thoughts seriously and nodded along, getting a better understanding of what Naoto actually liked. "Okay, so not this. Oh! Do you like something like this as a lining? Or something less slippery?" She asked, wanting to be sure they covered that aspect as well. She doubted the violinist would want the velvety feel potentially against his skin, but depending on his answer on this, she would ask about that as well.

"Hmm, this would be nice against the skin, but I wonder if it isn't a little heavy for a lining?" Naoto sounds more like a normal Japanese person's level of uncertainty in this sentence rather than his full nervous self. He wants the outfit to be light so it could use it in just about any weather, after all. But yes, something silky always feels best against the skin,

Kaiya grinned at Naoto showing that he really did know something about fabrics, even if he didn't think he did. "Yeah, this particular one is too heavy, but just getting an idea what you like. I also want to look at light cottons, but I like the feel of these kinds of fabrics so much~" She admitted, giving the silky material one last stroke before moving on to said cottons. The first was a deep black, but right next to it was a soft dove grey. Though she had been envisioning black... she actually kind of found herself being drawn to the grey.

Naoto couldn't really tell you anything about the fabric; probably couldn't even really tell you what fabric his clothes are made of most of the time, but he does know what feels nice at least. He nods that it would feel nice. He follows along with her, and notices her looking at the grey, "Is that for the lining?"

Kaiya looked over at Naoto when he spoke up. "Actually... I was thinking of using it for the vest? As a subtle pop of different colour amidst all the black?" She suggested, but obviously leaving the decision up to the violinist. He would be the one wearing it, after all, and they hadn't agreed on doing the vest a different colour when discussing the design before.

"Hmmm..." Naoto considers, taking quite a long time thinking about it. But that's because he's not just thinking about *this* outfit, but about his whole wardrobe. He does probably have enough black vests, but he's not sure how much use he'd get out of a grey vest. He tilts his head to one side then the other, and says, "I think, if not black, then like... striped would be better? Or something?"

Kaiya waited through Naoto's consideration. She wouldn't have been surprised if she heard what her friend was thinking. After all, she often thought through new purchases in a similar way. When he came to a decision, though, she nodded in understanding. Sure, the fabric was calling to *her*, but if it wasn't going to work for her ~client~, then that didn't matter. "Okay, we can look at the blacks some more, and maybe some stripes then." She responded easily, moving on to another, lighter-weight black cotton. "What do you think of this one?" She asked, honestly not sure about it herself. Sure, it was lightweight, but it also seemed a little thin to her.

He does think it's a pretty grey, but if they bought every pretty fabric in here they'd be broke and unable to carry everything. There's a mild relief at Kaiya being so obviously unbothered by him not wanting it. Not that he'd thought she'd be bothered, it's just the kind of level of anxiety he lives with, especially since he's trying not to self medicate so much anymore. He touches her next suggestion, and shrugs, not really sure. It seems fine to him, but what does he know?

Given that the outfit wasn't for her, Kaiya didn't have too vested an interest in what fabrics Naoto ultimately chose. After going through the various blacks and striped fabrics in the store and taking photos of the most likely options, Kaiya led the way out of the store and toward the next one. She had a much better idea of what the violinist liked and what he didn't like, so in the next store the searching was much more direct. As they took a look at a fabric with a very thin, subtle, lavender stripe to it, she asked, "Would you rather have a striped vest? Or striped pants?" Curious if he had a preference, or had even considered doing the pants striped instead.

Honestly, even *Naoto* has a better idea of what he's looking for after that first store, feeling like he learned a lot about clothes from this trip. "Definitely the vest -- but I want it to be a bit more obvious than this?" He was thinking of a bolder stripe, keeping with the idea of it being an accent piece.

Kaiya nodded along with that idea. The thinner stripe had definitely been more meant for pants if Naoto had gone for that. For a vest, a broader stripe would absolutely be better, and the few they had agreed were good at the last store were definitely in that category. "Do you like the colour, though? Or would you rather something more flamboyant?" She had looked at the lavender because of the violinist's hair, but the fact that the man's hair changed fairly often due to his job might make something so matchy not as great an idea as she was thinking.

"I was thinking like... black and white, but like, less like pinstripes and more like stripes? Or maybe black and grey?" Naoto admits. Neutrals so he would wear them with anything, but a bold enough pattern to still be an accent piece.

"Ah~ So the other way, then." Kaiya confirmed. At the last store there hadn't been any wide, coloured stripes, so it wasn't surprising they had settled on a couple that were black and white striped there. Knowing this, she moved on to looking at fabrics with a look more like the one Naoto had described. After a few more choices in stripes and solids, she led them on to a third store. In her opinion, it was best to see all the options before making a decision.

Naoto feels overwhelmed at the idea of keeping track of all these options, but braves on, confident in Kaiya's confidence at least. Finally, after that store, they have the full picture and they're able to pick up the fabrics they need - using all the stores they'd been to, and most of the notions. But, like Kaiya had predicted earlier, they really couldn't find any perfect buttons for the outfit. so they go back to the vintage shops.

Kaiya smiled happily as they wandered back down the street, bags full of fabric and notions, and just about everything they would need. This obviously wasn't her first rodeo, as she'd had no problem remembering which pictures went with which stores, then matching up the black from the striped choice Naoto had made to the black of another cotton, and another in a velvety material. All in all, she felt they had done very well. It was just the buttons that were an issue. The first vintage shop yielded no results at all. Not even on furniture, which had been her last bet. The second store, though, had a whole rack of vintage clothing! She beelined straight for it.

Mariko is hanging out in the same vintage store, by chance. She likes finding old long skirts in interesting patterns, or material she can use to make her own. Wear those with a cute modern blouse and a thick belt, and she just feels adorable like that. She turns an aisle and spots a familiar head of red curly hair, and is very excited to see her friend, "Kaiya-chan~" And then her mouth gapes as Naoto appears beside Kaiya a mere moment later.

Naoto had gotten distracted by some vintage belts with really wild, big buckles, and so he trailed somewhat behind Kaiya, arriving by her side at a mildly unfortunate time.

Kaiya, on the other hand, was very focused on the clothing rack before her, so she noticed neither Naoto's lagging, nor Mariko's arrival in the aisle until she spoke up. The aspiring fashion designer was holding up the sleeve of a rather ugly blouse to inspect the buttons at the cuff when that greeting startled her into looking up. Seeing the older girl, Kaiya smiled brightly, "Fujita-san!" She responded, equally excited to see her. However, the look that came over her older friend's face told her two things: Naoto had caught up to her, and he had been recognized. Oh dear. What should she do? Pretend she hadn't come in with him and he just coincidentally came up beside her? No, he was probably standing too close to her for that... So... rather than try to explain one way or the other, she just kind of plowed ahead. "What brought you here?" She asked, genuinely curious.

Sure, the violinist's face looks surprisingly different than it does from his stage persona, amazing what a difference a different makeup look does, but Fujita Mariko is a helluva Devillic fan so there's no way she wouldn't clock him. Now, whether or not she even heard Kaiya's question could be a topic for debate, but she certainly doesn't respond to that. She barely manages not to rudely point at the man, but she definitely goes, "Kaiya-chan! It's Uriel!"

Naoto is also pretty unsure what to do. Sure, he's been recognized in the wild before -- at which point he would usually just go into Uriel mode and try to professionally disengage. But this fan *knows Kaiya* so it's not a situation he's been in before or really prepared for. He's not sure if it's the right decision or not, but he decides not to go into character. "Um, hello?"

Well... there goes plausible deniability. Kaiya physically winced as Naoto confirmed her friend's declaration. And the way that Naoto didn't pretend *not* to know her... well, she supposed there was nothing to do but be polite? She waved her hands in a shushing, keep this on the DL motion, then very calmly made introductions. "So... Uriel, this is Fujita Mariko, Fujita-san, this is Uriel." She didn't offer up Naoto's real name, as that definitely was *not* a choice she would ever make for him. How he wanted to play this, she would let him decide. If he *wanted* to admit that they were friends, she'd roll with it, but if he wanted to pretend that he had just commissioned clothing from her after seeing her designs on shotgun and downplay their relationship, she would be fine with that too. God, she really hoped Fujita-san was alone today...

Uriel likes Kaiya, as a friend. He wants to think that any of her friends would also be nice people. But it's scary to meet a Devilic fan, so he's glad Kaiya didn't use his name. In fact -- while he's panicking quite a lot INSIDE, all the media training Yamato and Takuya had beat into him actually did come to the rescue. Don't like, but don't say things you don't want to share as well, right? He hopes Kaiya is OK with him downplaying their relationship. "Nice to meet you. I met Kaiya-chan through some mutual friends, and -- well, I really like her designs, so I commissioned her."

It is a force of sheer willpower that he keeps his usual questioning tone out of that last sentence.

Mariko's eyes are still very wide. Running into Kaiya unexpectedly is already a surprise, because Tokyo is a big place. But running into Uriel, learning that they know each other. "That's um. Wow. very cool." She looks to Kaiya, "You know Uriel?"

While there was not much question in that question, it really contains feelings like 'when did this happen' and 'why didn't you tell me'.

Kaiya nodded along with Naoto's explanation, rather happy that she could downplay things, but mostly to protect her relationship with Devillic's vocalist! To her friend's question, she actually blushed a little, and nodded again. "Ah, kinda? You know how my brother sings for a new super indies band... turns out the drummer used to do indies circuits with Belial's old band? And somehow or other, Uriel saw the work I did for my brother, so I gave him my contact information... and here we are?" She tried to make it seem like all the relations were a lot more tenuous and luck-based than they really were, and that this opportunity had been so unexpected that she hadn't wanted to tell her friends, in case it didn't actually happen. "Anyway... I asked Uriel to come shopping for fabric today so that I could use exactly the right stuff. We're looking for cool buttons to finish everything off now." She ended, happy she could be completely truthful about that, at least.

"Oh wow, that's so cool," Mariko says, regaining the ability to form sentences some as her brain starts to whirr back up to gear. It makes some amount of sense that amongst the indies rock band scene you can end up with situations like this. Also, since she's processing again, it makes sense that Kaiya wouldn't - in fact, shouldn't! -- go around advertising this to other fans of Devilic all willy-nilly. Looking back to Uriel, she feels sheepish, and apologizes, "Sorry, I'm just a little star struck -- I'm a big fan of Devilic."

"Ohh, it's ok. I get that way when I meet musicians I'm a fan of too, and I understand it's surprising to find me out with your friend," Naoto replies, very empathetically.

Kaiya smiled more easily as things seemed to relax again. It appeared that her and Naoto's stories were enough to explain their presence together, so that was a relief. She didn't like lying to Mariko, even this much, but it was important not to completely give away how close she was to the band to her friends. She was sure Mariko and the rest would understand if and when they found out. At least, she hoped they would. "So... are you here by yourself, Fujita-san?" She asked, just before another familiar face came wandering into the aisle.

"Mariko-san~ Did you find something?" A young woman with short black-and-purple streaked hair and rather dramatic makeup appeared, not noticing Naoto right away, and Kaiya being mostly obscured by her friend. When Miyazaki Akari got closer, though, she absolutely noticed that tell-tale red, curly hair and her lips spread in an excited grin. "Oh! Kaiya-chan! You're here too!" And then, inevitably, her stylistically-lined eyes moved to the violinist, and they widened in surprise. That was totally Uriel, right? She was even less restrained in her reaction than Mariko, but it had less to do with the violinist himself. "Oh my god! I knew it!" She exclaimed, then clapped a hand over her own mouth, because she was obviously being too loud.

Naoto was just feeling like he had competently made it through the situation when ANOTHER Devillic fan/friend of Kaiya's showed up. Oh god. It doesn't help that he does not understand her reaction to him at all (and that he likes her makeup, is it weird to ask a fan about their makeup?).

Oh, Marika has definitely found something, although she doesn't get much of a chance to respond before Akari comes over. She blinks at her friend's reaction, "Huh? Knew what?"

In a much lower voice now, realizing, even in her excitement, that her next words should not be heard by the whole world, Akari responded, "Her boyfriend!" They had been able to get a glimpse of a couple of pictures of Kaiya's boyfriend on her phone, and she'd thought from the start that the man in those photos had a fair resemblance to the new Devillic vocalist, but he was a chef, and makeup could do a lot of things to a person's face, so she hadn't had any concrete proof. But here was Kaiya, standing beside Uriel, and the resemblance just seemed too much of a coincidence after that. She didn't say anything more, though, sure that Mariko would get it from just that. After all, it was the older girl who had warned the group initially not to ask too much about Kaiya's boyfriend, or possibly knowing something about the band.

Now Kaiya was feeling quite nervous. She hadn't expected Akari to make that kind of immediate connection. She was seriously going to be in hot water here, wasn't she? She was trying to come up with some kind of explanation that would make sense, and was coming up blank.

Naoto takes long enough to understand that they're implying they suspect Setsuna is... Setsuna. But he is absolutely unequipped to be able to help Kaiya get out of this. He's probably panicking worse than her, although at least he's just looking blank and confused on the outside.

Mariko honestly had also suspected that Kaiya had a connection to the band. It's not that common for someone to roll up by themselves to an indie viskei band's concert; they usually get into that stuff with friends or through friends. She had assumed Kaiya's boyfriend was a part of some indie band that Mariko didn't personally knew, which is why they weren't allowed to meet him -- that Kaiya was avoiding them meeting otherwise didn't fit with how the redhead talks about her boyfriend and describes his personality. But now that Akari mentions it -- yeah, all the pieces fall into place. But just as she'd warned people not to pester Kaiya too much before, she still thinks that's important. She's always believed that the band members they love and idolize deserve their private lives as much as anyone else. She looks to Akari, and says, "I think you're right. I also think that we should not tell any of the other girls about this, unless and until Kaiya-chan oks it."

Kaiya's breath was literally being held the entire time that Mariko was considering Akari's suggestion, and it felt like an eternity before the older girl spoke up. When she did, though, a huge, relieved, breath went out of her. "Please, please don't tell anyone." She begged, basically confirming their suspicions, but at this point she didn't see any way to deny them properly. The fact was, if she tried, they'd probably just feel like she was a liar, and she didn't want that. They *were* her friends, after all.

At that confirmation, Akari's whole face lit up with excitement, but she nodded at both of their friends' words. "Of course! And definitely won't tell any of the other girls. We'll have to come up with a better cover for you, though, Kaiya-chan. Can't have other people figuring it out like this." She told the girl with a sweet smile. That sorted, she did love the idea that she was getting to meet a member of her favourite band! "Hi, I'm Miyazaki Akari. It's really nice to meet you." She told Uriel, not at all expecting to get anything but a stage name in return. She *was* hoping that, now that she and Mariko were in the know, they might get to finally meet Kaiya's boyfriend, though~

It's definitely better for Kaiya to just admit things at this point. Mariko decides to make her stance entirely clear, to both Kaiya and the violinist, "I've always said that idols and whatnot deserve just as much privacy, and deserve to have relationships just like anybody else. So of course I'm going to be supportive." Sure, being seen as cool and safe would increase their chance of meeting other band mates, but that's genuinely not her motivation, and it's only going to cross her mind later that evening, thinking back on this.

"Nice to meet you. And thank you both for being.... cool about everything," Naoto replies, at a loss for what else to say. It sounds like they have a good attitude, at least, and aren't the kind of scary fans who seem to think that celebrities 'belong' to their fans or whatever.

Honestly, if there had been a whiff of an idea that the Devillic guys somehow 'belonged' to any members of the group, Kaiya probably would have found a way to distance herself from them before now. Still, she knew the youngest two, other than herself, would be way too excited not to spill that they had inside information on the band, and the other two in the group seemed to be less... progressive?... than the two before her. At least, Harada-san seemed to be of the opinion that idols in relationships should do their best not to let it be known, or just not have relationships until their contracts were over, no matter the type of idol they were. Her opinion seemed to stem from the desire for the partners to be kept safe, though, not for the idols themselves to be 'open' to their fans. "Really, thanks, both of you." She said, her words truly heartfelt.

Akari waved off the words as if they were nothing, going back to her cool persona. "Of course! It's nice to know that idols are real people, and since you guys make us happy, it's only fair that you get to be happy too! So... what are you guys doing here?" She asked, having totally missed the entire earlier conversation.

Mariko is still very excited inside, but trying to be calm, especially since poor sweet Uriel seems a bit put out, and this is obviously hard for Kaiya and Uriel as neither of them had expected this. "You remember how Kaiya-chan makes a lot of her own clothes? Well, she's actually making something for Uriel, so they're looking for... buttons, was it?" She says, looking back to Kaiya for confirmation.

Honestly, Naoto is just starting to calm down and is kind of glad no one is really demanding his attention at the moment.

"Oh? Well that's really cool! I hope we get to see pictures of the finished product!" Akari told their youngest group member kindly. Whether said pictures had Uriel in them or not, she wasn't going to push one way or the other. "Are you looking for specific buttons? Do you need some help looking?" She offered, already having her own shopping done, and honestly looking for any reason to get to hang out a little with one of the Devillic members. If they said no, though, she wouldn't hold it against them. This was probably a little awkward, after all.

Kaiya nodded at Mariko's explanation, then smiled at Akari. "I'll definitely share pictures when I'm done." She promised. She'd be taking pictures anyway, for her portfolio, after all. "For the buttons... nothing specific, exactly, just something cool and matching Uriel's vibe?" She figured that would make sense to the other two girls. Possibly even moreso than to Naoto himself. She did glance at the violinist to gauge his reaction to the offer of help, though, not wanting to subject him to fans if he didn't want to.

Naoto doesn't immediately equate 'picture of finished product' with pictures of him in it, especially since he knows Kaiya takes pictures for her portfolio and just for reference in general. He is admittedly curious to get to know Kaiya's friends. It's definitely awkward because of the way they like him, but they're not being too weird right now. "Um... I'm ok with everyone helping. Just... I'm a pretty quiet guy, so if I'm not chatting a lot, don't think it's me... not liking people or not being ok?"

Oh, dear lord. Seeing a shade of what Uriel is like as his real personality, and how utterly adorable and shy he seems, it honestly only makes Mariko like him more, but she's resolved not to squee or anything ridiculously fanlike like that. She'll just gush to Akari later! "Sure, no problem. And please, if you want us to go, just tell us. We won't think less of either of you; we're definitely intruding here."

Honestly, Kaiya wasn't thinking of pictures with Naoto in them either. She might end up taking one just to have the true full look documented, but she doubted she would use that in her portfolio or show it off to anyone outside the bands. She had to smile at Naoto explaining his likely quiet or aloof-seeming nature, but she doubted it would bother her friends. That was sort of similar to the 'Uriel' persona in a way, so they might actually like it in the end. "Okay, so... for the buttons, I don't care if they come from clothing, furniture, or whatever, but they have to be silver or antique silver, there have to be at least eight of them if they're relatively small, or six if they're a little larger. I want them to have a neat design to them, but nothing too recognizable. So no, like... obvious roses, or perfect geometric shapes, or whatever." She instructed her 'new recruits'.

Akari grinned at being told exactly what Kaiya wanted in the button department. The girl might be young, but when she was in her element, she was a force to be reckoned with, it seemed. "Noted. Guess I'll look at the other side of the rack here?" After all, if all they wanted was the buttons, it didn't matter if the original piece was the wrong size, or whether it was originally for a man or a woman.

"OK, Got it," Mariko agrees. After checking with Kaiya to confirm which aisles the girl had already checked, she heads over to the far side of the store, figuring she could work her way back in towards the main group. Naoto sticks by Kaiya, since he honestly hadn't been doing a great job of looking before, and he's much more comfortable with her. He does note that her friends are being pretty normal and also helpful, which is nice to see.

With both of the other girls out of their aisle (for the most part), Kaiya smiled at Naoto. "Well, that was unexpected." She told him, but seemed far more amused than upset or worried. "Did you see anything else cool on your way over here?" She asked, since she hadn't been able to ask that when he'd joined her. Otherwise, she went back to looking at the various items before her, looking for the right style of buttons.

"It definitely could have gone worse," Naoto replies, since he has seen some *interesting* fan reactions at handshake events and the like. He admits, sheepishly, "I was looking at weird belt buckles before."

Kaiya nodded in agreement at Naoto's observation, but didn't see a need to comment further. However, his response about what he had been looking at interested her greatly. "Oh? Did you find anything cool? I wouldn't mind trying to design around an item like that~" It seemed like an interesting sort of project idea to her.

"Um... I was looking at them because they were very not for me? But I can show them to you if you think they could be fun," Naoto replies, knowing that it could be a fun project for her even if it's not something for him.

That reasoning made Kaiya giggle lightly. "Are they big?" She asked, not even being able to seriously envision the violinist wearing some big, flashy belt buckle. It would still be interesting to her, though. "I'd love to see them after, though!" Even if she just took some pictures and sketched some designs rather than actually buying anything, she still thought it would be a good exercise. At this point she had vetoed a half dozen shirts, and the next one didn't seem super promising. When she flipped the cuff of the nearest sleeve, though, she frowned and fingered the button that was there. Instead of the kind of plastic or metal button that she had been expecting, this looked to be a wide, round crystal. "I really don't think this is what we're going for, but..." She trailed off, showing the 'button' to Naoto.

"They're *so* big," Naoto replies, honestly not sure with his frame he could pull off a belt like that. It would be 'wearing him' so to speak. He looks at the buttons, "Those are cool. They weren't what I had in mind, but, they could probably work?"

"They weren't what I had in mind at all either." Kaiya replied, her vision having been pretty explicitly explained before the other two girls went off to look. But the sparkle on these... "I wonder if they're real crystal, or if they're plastic..." She wondered aloud, pulling the shirt from the rack and tapping on the first button she'd seen. It wasn't plastic, but it was far more likely to be something like a cubic zirconia, or plain glass, than actual crystal. Still, it was sparkly. Problem was, there were only six buttons when she looked the shirt over: five down the front, and one in the cuff. The one for the other cuff was gone. "Mmmmmm....... I wonder if I could make it work with just four buttons of this size down the front... or maybe just use these for the cuffs and use something else for the front? Then use the other four for the vest instead?" She was mostly thinking out loud, but was partly asking for Naoto's opinion, since this whole thing was for him.

"Hmm, maybe," Naoto replies, more sold on her ability to make it work than the buttons themselves. "Let's bring this shirt with us while we keep looking?" He suggests, since they didn't have to make their decision now, after all.

Mariko comes back with, of all things, some gloves that have buttons on them that she thinks could work, "What about these, Kaiya-chan? Uriel-san?"

Kaiya nodded at Naoto's suggestion, that having been her thought as well. She held onto the shirt, and was just starting to look for something else, when Mariko returned. "Oh?" She asked, curious what the older girl had found. She took one of the gloves and looked at the button design. They were antique silver, which was nice, and they did have an ambiguous design that looked kind of like a flower, and kind of like wind. They were a lot like she had been envisioning, but maybe a little smaller than she had been thinking due to them being on gloves. There were six of them, though: one actually holding them together, and two that were sewn on as accents. If she used them on the front and two of the crystal buttons in the cuffs, then maybe...? She held the cuff of the shirt she was holding up near the gloves and looked at Naoto. "What do you think of using the ones from the gloves on the front of the jacket, with the crystals in the cuffs, then again on the vest?" That did leave the question of the button on the pants, but she could change that to a hidden button if she had to, in order to not ruin the 'look'.

"Oh those are really pretty," Naoto replies. Like to the point where if they didn't work on *this* project, he'd be tempted to get them and save them for something anyways. He frowns slightly as he tries to envision it, and has to admit, "It's hard for me to just imagine it? I don't mind buying them both. I mean the buttons aren't added til like the end, right? So... we could see if they worked or go look for something else then?"

Mariko is mostly happy that Uriel likes them, and also to get to see the cute look of concentration on his face.

Kaiya may have known Naoto for a relatively short time, but she was pretty sure that initial reaction was similar to hers: those buttons were just too good to pass up. His suggestion had her nodding, though. "Yeah, I can do that: basically finish everything, then pin the buttons in place to see how it will look before making the button holes." Obviously she wouldn't want to do those until the buttons were 100% decided on.

Hearing the low buzz of excitement, Akari peeked her head around the rack to see what was going on. "Awww did I lose out on finding the perfect buttons?" She asked, though she did come over to see what had been found.

"Then, we'll keep these; but we may as well keep looking since we're here?" Naoto suggests. If he ends up buying a few sets of buttons and then they choose in the end, that's fine by him. He shakes his head to Akari, and explains, "We found some very nice buttons -- but we're not sure they're the ones for this project? Probably going to buy them anyways, but we're still kind of looking?

Mariko sends Akari a smile, trying to communicate how fucking adorable Uriel is without saying anything.

Kaiya nodded again at Naoto's decision, rather used to the cute indecisive-sounding tone that she was pretty sure was more politeness than anything. "Okay~ Let's keep looking!" She announced, taking the gloves from Mariko to add to the shirt in her hands. The more she thought about it, the more she kind of liked the mix and match idea. But.... her original plan was for the buttons to be the thing that tied everything together. Unlikely when using something from a vintage shop, but she could dream, right?

Akari was shooting a similar smile in Markio's direction at the same time, and she *just* stopped herself from laughing at the unintentional mirroring. But yes, Uriel was so, so much cuter than she'd ever thought he might be. And that was saying something! "Oooh~ So I still have a chance!" She said aloud, then went back to looking on her side of the aisle, hoping to find something to contribute.

"Somehow this feels like a competition now," Mariko jokes, as she passes Akari to go back to where she'd been when she'd found those gloves. It's very special to get to see Uriel being more his natural self, and it's definitely worth protecting his ability to feel safe and to do so. And if it happens to mean that they can spend more time with the members of the band they like, well that's just a bonus.

Naoto continues to stick by Kaiya, silently contemplating things. After a bit, he says, "I think if one thing is going to have different buttons, it could be the vest? Cuz I'm more likely to wear it with other things than the other pieces?"

Akari grinned at that, "You bet it is!" She agreed with a laugh, then went back to looking, now quite seriously wanting to find something cool that could be used for Uriel's clothing. How cool would it be to see the violinist wearing something with the buttons she found? Wait, was this for a costume? Or was it for his personal wear? Not that there seemed to be much difference in the way his stage and personal clothing looked, assuming he was wearing his own clothes right now.

Kaiya nodded at Naoto's thoughts. "Yeah, that's why I thought the crystal buttons would be nice on the vest, with maybe just the two that would be leftover in the the cuffs of the jacket." She responded, though she would definitely be happy to just use the crystals only on the vest if they could find cool buttons where there would be enough to do the front and the cuffs.

Mariko is much of the same mind; whether it's a costume or personal clothes, how cool to know that you helped out with your idol's clothes? Kaiya must be feeling it even more -- or, well, since she's apparently dating the vocalist, maybe she sees them less like idols? Who knows. In any case the hunt is fun -- and she has a leg up on Akari since she already found some.

"But if the crystal buttons are on the jacket, then it ties them more to the vest? I'm not sure I want that right now..." Naoto admits, being by far the LEAST useful person in looking for buttons.

"Oh?" Kaiya asked, looking away from the newest shirt in her hands to look over at Naoto. "I thought it was kind of cool: that there would be something subtle tying them together, but not so obvious that they *had* to be worn together. But if you don't like that, for sure we can figure something else out!" Kaiya hastened to reassure the violinist. Of course, they were hoping for something with enough cool buttons to not have to mix and match, so hopefully they'd get something that fit the bill.

"If they're always going to be worn together, then I want them tied together, but if I want to wear it with other things, then I'll be annoyed that it doesn't match?" Naoto suggests, although it's kind of hypothetical. But anything else he's wearing the vest with won't have the crystal, and if he tries to wear the jacket with something else (which is less likely but not impossible) then it won't work because of the crystal.

"Okay." Kaiya agreed easily. Again, the clothing was for Naoto, so however he felt about it was the way it would be. She didn't have to agree, or even understand, for her to adjust her idea to match his. That decided, though, she went back to looking with a vengeance. Unfortunately, most things just had boring plastic or wooden buttons. So disappointing!

Naoto feels a sense of self-satisfaction at having expressed himself properly, which isn't always something he's able to do. He does feel like he's been getting better at it recently? Maybe it's because now he's surrounded by people who accept and support him, and nobody is regularly tearing him down the way Mamoru used to. He finally starts looking for buttons as well, but doesn't find anything. Soon enough they're together again as a group. He goes ahead and buys the items they have, then asked, "Should we keep looking somewhere else too...?"

"I definitely know more vintage shops around her," Mariko volunteers, wanting to be helpful. And spend more time with Uriel.

Akari was a little sad when they reconvened without her having found anything helpful. So, when the idea of checking another shop came up, she was very happy to go along with that. "After all, vintage shops will all have different things, unlike normal stores!" She agreed, hoping that was what the group ended up going with.

Kaiya was thankful that she had gotten used to not paying too close attention to amounts when other people were paying, because the shirt and gloves they had found, while not exorbitant, were certainly not cheap either. So, when checking somewhere else came up, she kind of wanted to leave the final decision to the violinist (since he would be paying again). Still, "I mean, we didn't end up finding anything that will do all the buttons on the jacket." Nevermind one for the pants, should they get lucky enough.

"Aa, yes. I think looking at some more places is the best way, after all? These buttons are nice; if we find something better for this project, we can still use these some other time, so that's why I bought them. But I think I would like to keep looking?" Naoto suggests. It's nice having everyone wanting to help. He doesn't know them well, but Kaiya's friends do seem kind -- especially since they'd brought her into their friend group when they noticed she was alone at the live, after all.

With that decided, it was off to another few stores where they tried their luck at finding just the right buttons. Akari made good on her competitive spirit, finding two possibilities at two different stores: an evening coat with silvery buttons that had the subtlest design around the edges, and a fur coat with antique silver buttons that were definitely floral in design and had a very lovely black button with white stone inlay that made a lovely flower at the collar. Kaiya had also found something that might work in one of the stores, though her find had been on a set of pillows, of all things. The silky material that made up the pillows might make for some nice accessories, she thought.

Once they had gathered quite a few possibilities, though, it was at least a couple of hours later, and she was ready to sit down. "So.... is there anywhere else anyone thinks we should look before we quit?" She asked, not having any other place in mind herself, but not wanting to miss something cool by not letting people speak up.

Naoto, without really thinking twice about the expense, simply buys all the nice options they've found, feeling excited to see how they looked on the garments and decide at the time which he liked better. He thought the black and white floral buttons might be really effective on the vest, personally, but he hasn't seen it yet.

Mariko shakes her head, she often goes vintage shopping, but they're basically hit up all the places she knows, "I don't know any other places that hold much promise, honestly."

"Okay, then... I'm voting we find somewhere to sit, because my feet are done for the moment." Kaiya admitted with a laugh. She wasn't at all sure how Naoto would feel about going to a cafe with her and both of the other ladies, and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but she really, really didn't want to walk too much further before taking a break, and getting everything that had been purchased back to her house was going to be a longer walk than desired right now.

That suggestion got Akari really excited, but she used her cool demeanor to hide it. How cool would it be to get to actually sit down somewhere with one of their idols and maybe get to talk about something other than buttons~? Still, she didn't want to just invite herself along...

Naoto really likes the idea of sitting down with Kaiya and her friends, especially since he's also a bit tired of walking around, but he's not sure if it's a good idea, and way too indecisive for this. Luckily, he has a plan for situations like this. "Um, if you don't mind, before we think about that, I think I need to make a phone call?"

Getting easy assent from the group he's with, he steps away from them into a nearby alley. Looking at his phone -- he decides to go for the angel on the shoulder (rather than the devil) and calls Takuya.

Kaiya shook her head, meaning she didn't mind at all. While Naoto was gone making his call, she braced herself for whatever questions or comments her friends might have, now that they were alone.

Takuya was not expecting a phone call from Naoto today, so he was surprised, and just a little concerned, to be receiving one. He picked up immediately, and responded, "Naoto-kun? Is everything alright?"

Once they were alone, Akari got the biggest smile and the most excited tone to her voice. "Oh wow~ I can't believe we got to help Uriel with some shopping! And maybe go to a cafe, or something!"

"Ummm," Naoto is truly, deeply, unsure how to answer that question. He's kind of calling to ask TAKUYA if everything is alright, after all. At least he realizes that Takuya is worried about him, so he settles for, "I'm ok. um. so, I went out with Kaiya-chan to do some shopping today -- and we accidentally ran into some of her friends. And they're Devillic fans so I was recognized. And... I think they put things together and figured out she's dating Setsuna-san?" While it is not conveyed well in English, all of those sentences at the end concluded with the Japanese grammatical structure that suggests that what he's saying is unfortunate. Unfortunately ran into her friends, unfortunately was recognized... etc.

"Right??" Mariko says to Akari, before looking at Kaiya, and trying not to seem too, well, devilish as she asks, "Ne, Kaiya-chan, can we see some pictures of your boyfriend?"

Okay, that was *not* what Takuya had been expecting. He couldn't even say whether it was better or worse than he had been worried about. Naoto was fine, but the band might *not* be. He brought a hand to his forehead and lightly massaged it as he considered what to say. "Okay. Okay. They recognized you. Nothing to be done about that. They also know you were out with Kaiya-chan. Nothing to be done about that either. Do they know, for sure, that she's dating Setsuna-kun?" He asked, wanting to be sure he had all the correct information before jumping to any kinds of conclusions.

At Mariko's sly question, Akari's eyes lit up, but she didn't add her own plea. She didn't want to put too much pressure on their friend, after all. Even if Kaiya had *connections*, she didn't want the girl to think that she and Mariko were only still being nice because they wanted things from her.

Kaiya looked from one of her friends to the other, then laughed. Honestly, she couldn't blame them. They didn't seem at all jealous, and they were very, very nice about all of it... and wouldn't *she* want to see candid pictures of her favourite band members if the shoe were on the other foot? "Okay, let me find some good ones." She said, not wanting to share any of the really cutesy or silly ones that she had, since those were way more intimate to her than the cooler or more posed ones. She found a set of pictures that started with a random shot of the restaurant's kitchen (probably an accidental click), and ended with a picture of her brother. The five photos in between were two of Setsuna in his chef's outfit, one of him reading Angel's Sanctuary that she had taken while doing her homework, one of him singing karaoke, and the last one was a selfie of the two of them together on one of their tourist dates. They were all from the time just before Setsuna joined Devillic, so he'd still had his pink streaks at that point. "Here you go~ There are five pictures of him in a row. Just swipe to the right to see them." She told them, figuring they would stop when they got to her brother (who was obviously not Setsuna).

"Uhh, Kaiya-chan might be better at answering that? But... it seemed to me like they had some kind of suspicions, and then when they realized Kaiya-chan and I knew each other they had these like.... these 'aha!' faces? They said they wouldn't tell anyone, and they said they believe idols deserve their own lives... they didn't ask for my name or anything. Honestly, they seem kind of nice?" Naoto's uncertainty level is higher than usual, as he's describing his impressions of what seems to have happened.

Mariko accepts the phone for the two girls, and slowly flips through the pictures, not rushing any especially since Akari is looking too. Setsuna had mentioned working at a restaurant at fan meets, so it's fun to see him cooking, studying up on his angel sanctuary. And dear lord, Kaiya and him look absolutely adorable on dates. The makeup makes a big difference in how he looks, but also his real personality is shining through, being a lot warmer and less cocky than the stage version. Just as with Uriel, she doesn't ask about his real name as that's clearly none of her business, and points out the one thing that is the most amusing to her, "He had pink in his hair even before, huh?"

Takuya sighed at that information, Naoto might have spaced a little at the confirmation, because saying 'they wouldn't tell anyone' told the drummer that, if it wasn't outright confirmed, the fangirl friends were at least mostly sure they were right. And since they *were* right, and had caught Kaiya out with another Devillic member, and they were the girl's friends... likely she hadn't denied it, especially if they promised not to tell. "Okay, well, it sounds like the damage is mostly done, and it's just going to be damage control at this point. I'll need to talk to Setsuna-kun and Kaiya-chan about how they want to proceed, and depending on their answers, we'll have to deal with the situation accordingly." Whether that was taking the relationship public, ascertaining the trustworthiness of these girls somehow, or plain making them sign NDAs.... well, that was a bridge they would soon have to cross. "Thanks for letting me know as soon as possible, though. Could you let me know when your outing is over, and I'll see about getting a meeting together with the couple?" He concluded, not realizing that Naoto might have a different question for him.

Akari, similarly, was drinking in each image that they had been allowed to see. They were all so *real* and unscripted. And much sweeter than the man's stage persona, it seemed. Then again, Uriel seemed a lot sweeter in real life than his aloof counterpart as well, so maybe it was just a band persona thing? The comment about the pink hair made her snicker a bit. "I guess they thought it was a good colour, just not the right style for the band?" She had to agree, honestly. The bands of colour did look amateurish, as if he had done it himself rather than going to a salon.

Kaiya nodded at both girls' observations. "Yeah, he did. He had it that way when he auditioned." She admitted. "The band liked it enough that they decided to keep the colour, but you're right: the style wasn't what they wanted." Now that she had admitted that her boyfriend was, indeed, the vocalist of Devillic, it felt so good to be completely honest, and gush a little, with some friends. Other than Mikoto, she didn't really have anyone to talk to about this, and while it was fine talking to her 'big sister', it was just different talking to Mariko and Akari.