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A soft sigh echoed throughout the dorm as the lone occupant sat down on the couch, observing the TV in front of her. A broadcast of a performance from a nearby idol group was airing, although its date indicated that this specific broadcast had been recorded to be seen later. For many, watching these was a fun time, a spectacle to behold, and while for the one observing it within Seisho Music Academy now, it may have that weight to it; to one Airi Momoi, it was more than just a fun viewing experience. She knew she wasn't perfect, there would always be plenty of room for improvement. Her old self would have pushed past the ache in her muscles that came from rigorous training, now she takes it as a sign to rest and instead watch tapes. She would study how they moved across the stage, where they made things work, where they made mistakes. She didn't intend to take their style, she intended to learn from it. Find their habits and apply those fixes to her own routines, keep herself busy during the downtime of performing. However, it's not all work and strict studying, sometimes it is just fun to see others perform, to see their genuine smiles as they get to live out their dream, and hopefully see their smiles mirrored upon their audience. That's what an idol strives for, a smile from those they perform for, through their acting, their singing, however.
As Airi continues to get caught up in the performance on the screen, she fails to notice the soft footsteps sounding off behind her until the sound is right behind her. Before she can react, she feels a pair of soft but firm arms wrap around her top section, and the feel along already alerts Airi to who's behind her, her cheeks turning red as her attention shifts from the bright television to the bright star behind her.
"You're already done with practice?" Airi said, remembering Maya still hard at work even as Airi herself had left the practice rooms.
"I hadn't left much later than you had." replied Maya, "As important as it is for us to train, it is even more important for us to rest, especially after how long we were in there." Airi nodded at Maya's words, ever intelligent about how the stage worked. Not so intelligent about manners though, as she noticed the familiar black and white striped sleeves that were wrapped around her.
"And I see you still haven't stopped stealing my hoodies when I'm not looking." the idol remarked, with Maya simply offering a devious chuckle in response.
"Is it so wrong of me to want something to hold onto that reminds me of you?" Maya asked, in her same charming voice pulling her same old cheesy lines, but it would still cause heat to rise to Airi's cheeks as she rolled her eyes and sighed at her girlfriend's antics. The conversation went dead there, as Airi's attention was back on the TV again, with Maya watching along, rapt by the display in front of her.
Airi knew that the top star wasn't very familiar with the practices of idols, and how much they differed from being a stage girl. However, she also knew that Maya was encapsulated by all facets of the stage. She even started asking questions regarding the performance and seemingly taking notes in her head as they watched, noting the way they planted their feet, asking why they chose a specific part to turn to the audience, questions about the technicalities that were said with such earnest that it made Airi feel appreciative on the inside; that Maya was so willing to learn about the performances, and trusted Airi enough to ask her questions regarding the intricate performance laid out in front of her.
With the performance nearing its conclusion, the pink-haired girl could feel Maya's chin resting against the top of her head gently, noticing her face moving as she felt the top star's grin without needing to see it, knowing that Maya was enjoying the performance in front of her. Once the last notes were played, and it cut to the audience clapping, Maya took her chin off Airi's head to lean over and look at her more directly.
"Were they perhaps a more amateur group performing?" Maya asked, an innocent and curious look in her eyes that signaled to Airi that she didn't mean any ill will with the statement.
"Yeah, they're an up-and-coming group, although they've been moving along quite quickly. How could you tell?" The idol responded, to which Maya simply shook her head, the same sincere and honest tone present throughout all her actions.
"I had noticed them taking similar steps to what you've taken before during practice, and they weren't able to execute the heel turns as precisely as you have." Maya said. Airi's eyes went wide as she realized the observation Maya had made. The brunette caught onto this surprise as she simply chuckled again. "I'm always paying attention to you, Momoi-san, even if you don't notice it." The mouth that was once agape soon closed, followed by an upturn of the lips, evolving into a full on laugh as Airi playfully swatted at her girlfriend, as the realization that Maya could notice she had been learning from that specific group for the past few practices caused her cheeks to flare up even more as Maya's own laughs filled the room.
As the two girls calmed down from the fun, Airi reasoned that Maya was already a step away from learning to be an idol, if she was able to make a smile like that come to her face.