Music for the Silence

Pastel*Palettes

After managing to get Afterglow to partake in the upcoming live event, the next day, Shizuka was at the station alone. The reason? To meet Pastel*Palettes. Apparently, of what she heard from Marina, they were an idol band who play their own instruments. And since they were idols, the only way to meet them was through an appointment, in which the manager managed to get for her silent part-timer last night.

And so, there she stood at the station, a large bag set by her side. In the bag were gifts of gratitude for Pastel*Palettes for taking time out of the busy schedule to meet with her. Shizuka could only hope that it suit their preferences. While she was somewhat ready to meet with the idol band, there was one problem...

'Where are they?' she wondered.

It wasn't Pastel*Palettes she was waiting for at the station; it was Poppin'Party, or PoPiPa for short. As Shizuka left earlier today, Marina had told her she informed the band of the upcoming meeting, and that she was to meet up with them there. However, the next train was coming soon, and should she miss this train, she'll be late for the meeting.

Just then, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Taking the device out, she saw a wave of messages came to her, one from each PoPiPa member. As she opened each text... so to say... well...

"Sorry! I'm out shopping with my family... T^T Go on without me!" was Kasumi's response to her text.

"I'm hanging out with my sister today, so I can't. Sorry >m<!" was Rimi's response.

"I'm needed at the bakery today, so I can't come. Sorry," was Saya's.

"On a date with my boyfriend," was Tae's, much to Shizuka's surprise.

"Have to water and trim my bonsai trees," was Arisa's.

To sum up... Shizuka was on her expedition alone. As much as she didn't want to meet Pastel*Palettes alone, unfortunately, it wasn't easy to get an appointment from them, especially not one at the earliest and most convenient. Besides, she knew from experience that there will be more trouble if she chose to skip the meet.

As her train arrived, the girl reluctantly got on.

******

By the time she arrived, she found herself standing in front of a large building. One sight, and Shizuka felt a nervous chill go through her bones.

'... I want to go home...' she thought. As much as she wanted to, though, a job is a job, and Marina really wanted this band to perform.

Without much of a choice, Shizuka walked into the building.

"Hello and welcome," greeted a lady by the front desk.

Shizuka walked up to her and set her bag down.

"How may I help you? Do you have an appointment?" she asked.

Holding up her pointer finger in a 'wait' gesture, the mute pulled out a notepad Marina had given her the other day, a pen attached to it. The woman heard of the misunderstanding she had with Roselia when she approached them with a sketchbook and got her the book to lessen any further misunderstandings.

"I have an appointment with Pastel*Palettes," she wrote.

"Name please," the lady requested.

"Suzuki Shizuka."

Upon getting her name, the woman searched her up in the computer. "Hmm... Ah! Here you are. They're in the meeting room on the fifth floor. Room 515." She then reached into a drawer and took out what seemed to be an ID card with the word 'guest' on it. "Here's your ID."