Aikatsu Crescent!

「Phase 20」Full Of Love

"Shiraishi-san!" Mai went over to the table, her smile radiant. Ai tapped the seat opposite her.

"Take a seat."

Mai did as asked. She quickly scanned the table; to her surprise, Ai hadn't brought her sketchbook, or cards. Ai offered her a cup of tea, which Mai gladly accepted.

"Thank you."

Ai smiled. "I'm sure you're wondering why I wanted to talk," she said, "I've been given the chance to hold an event for Pastel Macaron. A chance to show off our coords."

"Really? That's amazing!" Mai exclaimed. She had fallen in love with the brand on first sight, before it was even officially revealed... she wanted others to feel that kind of love, too. "I'll help with preparations, if you want!"

"Thank you for your kind offer - I'll be glad to take you on it," Ai said. She paused, drinking her own tea. "The event also comes with a stage. I was hoping you'd be able to perform, being the first idol to represent us."

Mai took a moment to process what she had been asked. Then, she nodded, smiling. "I'd be honoured! I wonder what coord I should wear..." She mentally ran through each of the Pastel Macaron coords she had obtained. Out of what she owned, a Rare coord would be ideal... so maybe the Whipped Dreams Coord? It was the first coord she had officially obtained from the brand after all.

"Ah, don't worry about that," Ai intercepted, taking Mai off guard. "I'll handle the coord. You can just focus on your training."

"O-oh. Okay." Mai supposed there was a lot of factors that probably played into the coord, such as the theme of the event. Maybe Ai had a new collection she wanted to show off... ultimately, it wasn't the end of the world. Maybe she wanted to show off a new collection! From looking into brands, she noticed they typically released collections towards the beginning of each season, and Autumn was fast approaching... Mai decided the chances of Ai using this event to promote her own Autumn collection were likely. She placed her trust in Ai. No matter what, she promised she'd work hard to make the show a success!

"The aim of the show is to find more customers," Ai explained, "I'm sure that much is obvious. It might be a good idea to widen our appeal somewhat..." her voice trailed off, somewhat hesitant.

"Widen our appeal?"

"Mhm. People like cute things, right?"

"Right." She really did like the cute elegance of Crystal Ribbon, and if social media was a reliable source, the public agreed.

"Then we should focus on that," Ai said, smiling. Mai nodded. It made enough sense to her, wanting to make the brand more desirable to others...

Ai explained the details to her, such as when and where the event would take place. Mai confirmed she'd be able to make it, then left, leaving Ai to go to the brand's actual office. She looked at her fabrics, trying to figure out the best choice. After discussing with other designers, they encouraged her that it was finally time. The brand was growing in popularity, especially after being featured in the New Stars Fashion Show. Even if she had her doubts, she'd never do it if she let that hold her back...

Ai was going to take a leap of faith and finally design a Premium Rare.

─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♡. * :☾ ° . ───

"The brand's essence?"

Mai, Tsubaki and Hinata were in the courtyard, discussing the event. Despite the multiple meetings with Ai, something about the entire situation just wasn't sitting right with Mai.

Tsubaki nodded. "I don't exactly know how to explain it... it's like, the feeling you get whenever you look at the brand."

"When I see Exciting Topaz's coords, I feel excited! It's like whatever I do when wearing one will one-hundred-percent, absolutely, definitely be fun!' Hinata added, her eyes sparkling. Placing a finger to her lips, Mai narrowed her eyes.